3.   ^^.    O'c 


Stom  t^e  feifitari?  of 
(pxofcBBox  TJJiffidm  (gliffer  (p(X)cio%  ©.©.,  &fe.®. 

to  f^e  feifirari?  of 
(Princeton  C^eofogicaf  ^eminatg 


BV  210  .T4 

1863 

Thompson, 

Augustus 

Charles, 

1812-1901 

, 

The  mercy- 

seat. 

or 

Thoughts 

mi 


THE 


MERCY-SEAT; 


OR, 


THOUGHTS    ON    PRAYER 


AUGUSTUS  C.  THOMPSON,  D.  D., 

JLUTHOR  OF  "THE   BETTER   LAKD,"  "  MORXIXG   HOURS   AT   PATMOS,"  "GATHERED 
LILIES,"  ETC. 


BOSTON: 


aOULD      AND      LINCOLN, 

59     WASHINGTON      STREET. 

NEW   YORK:    SHELDON  AND   COMPANY. 
CINCINNATI:    GEORGE  S.  BLANCttARD. 

18  6  3. 


CONTENTS 


/.    INTRODUCTORY. 
I.    PRAYER  A  WANT. 

tmiVERSALITY  OF  PRAYER  — NATURE  — WHAT  IS  PRAYER?  —  WHO  SHALL 
TEACH  US  ? 13 

II.    PRAYER  A  PRIVILEGE. 

ASSUMED,   NOT    ENJOINED  — IS    ACCESS    TO    BE    HAD?  — THE    THRONE   OF 
GRACE  — CONST^INT  FREEDOJI, 17 


//.    EFFICACY  OF  PRAYER. 
I.    EFFICACY   DEFINED. 

THE    QUESTION  —  NOT    REFLEX    ALONE  —  DIRECT    EFFICIENCY— BELIEF 
INDISPENSABLE, 22 

II.    DOUBTS  AND  DIFFICULTIES. 

EMBARRASSMENTS  —  OBJECTIONS  :    FROM    GOD'S    GREATNESS  ;    FROM   HIS 
BENEVOLENCE  ;    FROM   HIS  OMNISCIENCE  J   FROM  HIS  UNCH.iNGEABLE- 

NESS, 26 

(V) 


VI  CONTENTS. 


III.    PRAYER  A  TELEGRAPH. 

HEAVEN  AND  EARTH  IN   COMMUNICATION  —  DESPATCHES   ON    RECORD  — 
OPEN  TO  ALL  — APPARATUS  PERFECT, 32 


III.    THE  BEING  ADDRESSED 

I.    GOD  THE  SON. 

A  PERSONAL  GOD  —  WORSHIP  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  —  HIS  OWN  CLAIMS  — 
PRIMITIVE  PRACTICE  —  APOSTOLIC  TEACHING, 37 

II.    THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

PRACTICAL  MOMENT— SCRIPTURE  NAMES,  PROPERTIES  AND  ACTS,  SHOW- 
ING PERSONALITY  — HIS  DEITY  —  NAMES,  ATTRIBUTES,  AND  WORKS- 
ASSOCIATED  ON  PARITY  WITH  FATHER  AND  SON  —  EARLY  USAGE,  .    .    .  4G 


IV.    PRIMARY  CONDITIONS  OF  PRAYER. 

I.    IN  THE  NA^IE  OF  CHRIST. 

MEDIATION  NEEDED  — IN  CHRIST'S  NAME  AI-ONE  — IMPERFECTLY  APPRE- 
HENDED—METHOD DEFINED  —  EXTENT  OF  PRIVILEGE, 61 

II.    UNION  WITH  CHRIST. 

SCRIPTURE    IMAGERY  —  NOTHING     P.YNTHEISTIC  —  ABIDING    IN    CHRIST- 


INTIMACY- BEARING  UPON  PRAY] 


69 


III.    OFFICE  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

SUBLIME  AGENCY— AID   IN    SUBJECT   MATTER  —  GROANINGS   UNUTTERA- 
BLE —  DELUSIONS  msCdUNTENANCElJ, 7? 


CONTENTS.  VII 


IV.    FAITH  AND  LOVE. 


UNBELIEF  A  HINDRA^XE  — TRUE  MOTIVE  —  UNLIMITED  ENCOURAGEMENT 
—  LEGITIMATE  OBJECTS— HOW  ASCERT^VINED, 


V.    METHOD. 
I.    ADDRESS  AND  ADORATION. 

METHOD   IMPORTANT— DIVINE   APPELLATIONS  —  ADORATION    DEFINED  — 
PERPETUATED  IN  HEAVEN  —  SCRIPTURE  EXA3IPLES, 91 

II.    CONFESSION. 

ITS  PLACE  — AURICULAR  CONFESSION  — ACICNOWLEDGMENT,  FULL,  FREE, 
SPECIFIC  —  TRUE  PENITENCE  —  ONE'S  OWN  SINS  —  SOCLiL  SINS,   .    .    .    .  97 

III.    THANKSGIVING. 

GRATITUDE  — OCCASIONS  — THE  UNSPEAICABLE  GIFT  — THE  EUCHARIST,  .  105 

IV.    HALLELUJAH  VICTORIES. 

JEHOSHAPHAT'S  choir  —  reacting   BENEFITS  —  EFFECT  UPON    ENEMIES 
—  GRUMBLERS  REBUKED, H^ 


VI.    QUALITIES. 
I.    HUMILITY  AND  DEPENDENCE. 

THE    DEVOTIONAL   SPIRIT— GIFT    OF    PRAYER  — HELP    NEEDED  —  LO^VLI- 
NESS  INDISPENSABLE  —  ARROGANCE, 118 

II.    RIGHT   MOTIVE. 

THE    GLORY  OF  GOD  —  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE  —  FILIAL   SPIRIT 


—  WOKLDLINESS, 


123 


VIII  CONTENTS. 

III.    EARNESTNESS. 

PAUL  — JACOB  — OTHER  EX^V3IPLES  —  WA2fDERISG  THOUGHTS, 128 

IV.    CONSTANCY. 

DEFINED  —  EXTRAORDINAEY  —  STATED  SEASONS  —  NOT  UNINTEKRUPTED 
—  EJACULATORY  PRATER  — ITS  EFFICACY, 132 

V.    PERSEVERANCE. 

A  COMMANDING  QUALITY  —  BELIEVING  THE  PROMISES  —  MOSES  —  SYRO- 
PHCENICIAN  3I0THER  —  BARTEVIEUS  — THE  WIDOW  — LLVIITATIONS,  .    .    .142 

VII.    AUXILIARIES    TO    PRAYER. 
I.    DEVOTIONAL  CULTURE  REQUIRED. 

HINDRANCES  —  UNFORGIVING  SPIRIT  —  GRADES  OF  DEVOUTNESS  —  SPE- 
CIFIC EFFORT, 151 

n.    READING  OF  SCRIPTURE. 

THE  BIBLE  THE  BOOK  OF  PRAYER  —  STUDY  OF  THE  PROMISES  —  THEIR 
SCOPE  —  OFFICE  OF  FAITH, 156 

III.    RETIREMENT  AND  MEDITATION. 

DEVOUT  REFLECTION  NEEDED  —  RETIREMENT  NOT  MONASTIC  —  NOT  A 
PASTOIE  —  CHRIST'S  EX^VMPLE  —  SKILL  TO  BE  ACQUIRED  —  SPECIAL- 
LY NEEDED  NOV/, 165 

IV.    DEVOUT  FASTING. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  BASIS  — AMONG  THE  JEWS  —  EARLY  CHRISTLVNS  —  PURI- 
TAN PRACTICE  —  ANNUAL  —  DOMESTIC  —  METHOD  AND  VALUE,    ....  173 


CONTENTS.  IX 


V.    DEVOUT  LIVLJ^G. 

MAN  AN  ENIGMA  — "BROTHERS  OF  THE  COAST"— ilAN  AS  HIS  GOD  — DIS- 
OBEDIENCE DEFEATS  PRAYER  —  INCONSISTENCIES  —  UNDEVOUT  LIFE 
—  THE  SOUTHERN  REBELLION, 181 


VIII.    ADJUNCTS  TO  PRAYER. 

PLACE  —  POSTURE  —  VOICE  —  LANGUAGE  —  LENGTH, 194 

IX.    PRAYER,  INDIVIDUAL  AND  SOCIAL. 

I.  SECRET  PRAYER. 

INDIVIDUAL  RESPONSIBILITY  — SOLITARY  PRAYER  A  TEST— ACCESSORIES 

—  SPECLVL  SEASONS  —  THE  MORE  CARES,  THE  MORE  NEEDED,    ....  201 

II.  FA3IILY  PRAYER. 

THE   F^UIILY— A  CHRISTIAN    HOME  —  INFLUENCE   OF  DOMESTIC  WORSHIP 

—  GROUNDS  OF  THE    DUTY  —  DOMESTIC    PRIESTHOOD  —  ACCESSORIES — 
HOUSEHOLD  FASTING, 213 

III.  SOCIAL  PRAYER. 

THE    SOCLiL   PRINCIPLE  —  TESTIilONIES  —  SCRIPTURE    SANCTION  —  BENE- 
FITS —  ATTENDANCE, 227 

X.    SEASONS   OF  PRAYER. 

I.    PRAYER  A^IIDST  TRIALS. 

A  FRIEND  NEEDED  —  AJNIIDST  PERPLEXITIES  —  IN  SUFFERINGS  AND  PERILS 

—  PSALM  EIGHTY-EIGHT  — PRAISE, 239 


CONTENTS, 


II.    PRAYER  UNDER  BEREAVEMENT. 

AFFLICTIONS  —  NOSTRUMS  OF  CONSOLATION  —  THE  DIVINE   PEESCKIPTION 
—  DIVINE  SYMPATHY, 245 


XI.    SUBJECTS  OF  PRAYER. 
I.    TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 

BASIS  OF  SUCH   PRAYER  — "WHAT  IS  A  BLESSING?  — A  MISER'S    PRAYER  — 
ONE'S  AVOCATION  —  DOMESTIC  LIFE, 250 

II.    MENTAL  AID. 

INTELLECTUAL    DEPENDENCE— PRAY   WELL,    STUDY    ^^"ELL  — IN    PUBLIC 
SPEAKING  —  CLERICAL   NEED  —  RECUPERATIVE  —  IN  BIBLE    STUDIES  — 


EXAMPLES, 


256 


III.    THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

SUBJECTS    OF    PREDICTION  —  OUTPOURING    OF    THE    SPIRIT  — EARLY    FUL- 
FILMENT —  GENTILE  PRIVILEGE  —  SPECIALLY  SOUGHT, 266 


IV.    SPREAD  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


CHRISTIANITY  EXPANSIVE  —  THE  JEWISH  ECONOMY  —  EARLY'  CHRISTIANS 
PRAYERFUL  — REVIVAL  OF  PRAYER  —  UNITED  PRAYER, 271 


V.    LARGE  REQUESTS. 

UNLIMITED  PROMISE  — UNBELIEF  — DISHONORING  GOD  — STREAMS  IN  THE 
DESERT, 276 


CONTENTS.  XI 


XII.    INTERCESSORY  PRAYER. 

I.    REASONS  A2sD  BENEFITS. 

GROUND  AND  TOUCHSTONE  —  A  CONDITION  —  REFLEX  BENEFITS  —  LAP- 
LAND TRAVELLERS  —  SELFISHNESS  SELF-DEFEATING  —  PAUL  —  NEAR 
DEATH 283 

II.    PRAYER  FOR  BELIEVERS. 

SCRIPTURE  EXAMPLE  — PAUL— ROM AINE  — TEST  OF  FRIENDSHIP— CHURCH 
RELATIONS  —  HABITUAL  AND  SPECL^L  —  REACTING  INFLUENCE  —  MU- 
TUAL PRIVILEGE, 290 

ni.    PRAYER  FOR  PASTORS. 

PAULINE  REQUESTS  —  MINISTERLVL  NEED  —  FORMATIVE  POWER  —  PAS- 
TORAL PBAYERFULNESS  —  LIIiE  PEOPLE,  LIKE  PRIEST  —  THE  BEST 
PARISHIONER  —  INTERCESSION  REMUNERATIVE, 298 

IV.    PRAYER  FOR  CHILDREN. 

PARENTAL  RELATION  —  PARENTAL  ALM  —  INTERCESSION  FROM  THE  FIRST 
—  CONSTANT,  SPECIAL  — MEANS  OF  CONVERSION  —  ILLUSTRATIONS,  .    .305 

V.    PRAYER  FOR  COLLEGES. 

REAPERS  NEEDED  —  DESIGN  OF  A3HERICAN  COLLEGES  —  ENCOURAGING 
CIRCUMSTANCES  —  POSITION  OF  STUDENTS  — COLLEGE  REVIVALS  —  SUP- 
PLY OF  PREACHERS, 309 

VI.    PRAYER  FOR  CO:VDniNITIES. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE  —  FROM  MODERN  HISTORY  —  NATIONAL 
RETRIBUTION  —  PRAYER  FOR  RULERS, 316 


XII  CONTENTS. 

XIII.    ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER. 

I.    AlS^SWERS  CERTAIN. 

LOOK  FOR  RETURNS  —  PETITIONS  ANTICIPATED  —  EQUIVALENTS, 322 

II.    ANSWERS  DELAYED. 

HOW  LONG?  — PARENTS  AND  WIVES  ENCOURAGED  —  PERSEVERANCE  FOS- 
TERED —  DISCIPLINE  BY  DELAY, 326 

XIV.    CONCLUSION. 

I.     PROVINCE   OF   PRAYER. 

PRAYER  A  DELIGHT— REFLEX    BENEFIT  —  EARNESTS  —  CHRIST'S  WONDER 
—  PRAYER  AND  EFFORT, 332 

II.  FUTURE  ACHIEVEMENTS  OF  PRAYER. 

THE  COURSE  OF  PROVIDENCE  —  CHRIST'S  ^MEDIATION  —  THE  GRAND  CON- 
CERT  339 


THE 


M  ER  C  Y-S  EAT. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


I.     PRAYER   A    WANT. 

ET  a  visitor  from  the  last-discovered 
planet  come  and  observe  the  devo- 
tional usages  of  our  race.  What  does 
he  behold?  He  sees  all  Christendom 
studded  with  places  of  worship,  to 
which  an  aggregate  of  millions  periodi- 
cally resort.  He  sees  the  children  of 
Israel,  in  their  dispersion,  supplied  with 
synagogues.  Five  times  a  day  he  hears 
the  muezzin  summoning  Mohammedan  nations  to 
prayer.  Where  Braminism  and  Buddhism  bear  sway, 
he  finds  countless  multitudes  taking  the  posture  of 
devotion.  Africa  bows  in  the  constant  worship  of 
fetishes. 

Let  this  stranger  glance  at  the  religious  ruins  of  our 
world.  Numberless  sacred  mounds,  prostrate  temple- 
columns,  and  scattered  fragments  of  altars,  meet  his 

2  13 


14  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

eye.  Many  a  monntain  and  hill,  grove  and  stream, 
tell  of  genii  who  were  invoked  by  former  generations. 
Plutarch  steps  forward  to  say,  "  that  if  one  traverse 
the  world  it  is  possible  to  find  cities  without  walls, 
without  letters,  without  kings,  without  wealth,  without 
coin,  without  schools  and  theatres ;  but  a  city  with- 
out a  temple,  or  that  practiseth  not  worship,  prayers, 
and  the  like,  no  one  ever  saw."  Athens  rises  up 
to  tell  how  she  banished  the  first  atheist  found  within 
her  limits.  Seamen  weighing  anchor,  citizens  at  their 
festivals,  armies  on  the  eve  of  battle,  sing  or  cry  to 
the  gods.  The  human  heart,  whether  paralyzed  with 
grief  and  fear  or  throbbing  with  joy,  demands  some 
superior  being  to  whom  it  may  turn.  Wide  as  the 
feeling  of  want  and  guilt  is  the  recognition  of  a  Deity. 

We  would  like  to  look  into  the  dark  dungeon  of  the 
soul  of  Democritus,  or  of  Thomas  Hobbes,  and  search 
carefully  to  see  whether  no  trace  of  a  Supreme  Be- 
ing were  left ;  whether  no  private  altar,  thongh  hid 
and  dilapidated,  remains.  The  philosopher  Bion,  and 
many  another  theoretical  atheist,  when  seized  by  mor- 
tal sickness,  pray  for  recovery,  and  vow  to  God,  as  if 
they  never  doubted  his  existence,  or  his  willingness  to 
hear  their  cries.  Men  must  have  a  religion  of  some 
kind ;  but  the  existence  of  God,  or  of  gods,  entitled  to 
worship,  is  fundamental  in  all  rehgions ;  and  prayer  is 
universally  regarded  as  an  essential  part  of  worship. 
So  far  as  man  is  a  religious  being,  he  is  one  that  prays. 

What  is  praj^er?  Well  does  John  Bradford,  re- 
former and  martyr,  reply,  "Prayer  is  a  simple,  un- 
feigned, humble,  ardent  opening  of  the  heart  before 
God;  wherein  we  either  ask  things  needful,  or  give 


PRAYER     A     WANT.  15 

thanks  for  benefits  received."  It  is  not  a  cool  con- 
ception, a  chain  of  reasoning,  a  recitation,  the  lashed 
effort  of  memory.  Logic,  rhetoric,  and  mnemonics, 
are  hardly  its  handmaids,  even.  Prayer  is  a  devout 
movement  of  the  soul  God-ward ;  not  an  endeavor  of 
recollection,  but  an  impulse  of  emotion ;  not  language 
so  much  as  desire.  It  is  a  humble  recognition  of  God 
as  creator,  sovereign,  and  judge,  —  the  God  of  provi- 
dence, upholding  and  controlling  all  things.  Prayer  is 
a  closing  of  the  eyes  on  things  seen  and  opening  them 
on  things  unseen.  It  is  penitence  vocal,  faith  making 
its  profession,  and  love  kindling  into  a  flame.  It  is  a 
heart  brought  to  the  altar,  a  flower  opening  to  the 
benignant  eye  of  Heaven ;  it  is  a  putting  off  the  shoes 
at  Horeb  ;  it  is  a  walk  to  Emmaus ;  it  is  to  be  present 
in  the  upper  chamber ;  to  sit  quietly  by  the  Saviour's 
side,  lean  the  head  on  his  bosom,  and  feel  the  beating 
of  Immanuel's  heart. 

But  who  shaU  teach  men  to  pray  ?  Where  is  a 
rational,  authoritative  rule  of  worship  ?  We  smile  at 
the  Indian  with  his  Manitous ;  we  are  shocked  by  the 
human  sacrifices  of  the  Canaanites,  the  Phoenicians, 
and  Druids.  We  betake  ourselves  to  the  seat  of  clas- 
sical refinement,  but  soon  detect  a  heartlessness  which 
awakens  disgust.  Passing  by  and  beholding  their 
devotions,  we  find  an  altar  ^^  To  the  Unknown  God.'^ 
We  hasten  to  Egypt,  the  reputed  cradle  of  wisdom. 
We  visit  the  sacerdotal  colleges,  and  hear  the  hiero- 
glyphics expounded.  But  Egyptian  divinities  and 
rites  are  senseless.  Priest  and  people  are  swayed  by 
the  most  gloomy  superstition,  paying  their  devotion  to 
herbs  and  insects,  to  the  cat  and  the  crocodile.     Can 


16  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

the  Zend-Avesta  satisfy  us  ?  We  are  not  prepared  to 
turn  fire-worshippers ;  nor  can  we  prostrate  ourselves 
before  the  Grand  Lama.  What  is  there  in  Hindoo 
worship  on  which  we  can  look  with  complacency? 
Little  better  do  we  find  the  Koran ;  there  is  nothing 
in  fatalism  to  cheer  us ;  we  discover  nothing  potent  or 
any  way  valuable  in  the  black  stone  at  Mecca. 

Modern  speculations,  too,  infidel  and  pantheistic,  only 
chill  and  lead  at  best  to  a  heartless  and  godless  formal- 
ity. The  race  is  no  wiser  in  divine  things  than  it  was 
fifty  centuries  ago,  nor  any  better  satisfied  with  the 
result  of  its  efibrts  to  commune  with  Deity.  Looking 
at  dark  places  of  the  earth,  full  of  the  habitations  of 
cruelty ;  looking  at  its  high  places,  signalized  by  abom- 
inations under  the  garb  of  worship ;  turning  to  aca- 
demic groves,  where  philosophy  has  taught  her 
profoundest  lessons ;  perusing  the  whole  history  of 
civilization  and  of  delusions,  we  can  only  cry  out  in 
despair.  Who  will  show  us  any  good  ? 

My  conscience  is  ill  at  ease ;  I  have  dark  forebod- 
ings ;  this  inner  self,  I  am  assured,  is  immortal.  That 
there  is  a  holy  God,  I  know ;  his  righteous  retribution 
I  dread.  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord  ? 
In  that  bitter  exclamation,  desponding,  feverish  human- 
ity utters  its  voice.  To  look  within,  and  find  the 
necessities  of  a  guilty  soul  what  they  are ;  then  look 
abroad  and  survey  the  amount  of  fruitless  efibrt  to 
arrive  at  satisfactory  communion  with  Deity,  must 
startle,  if  not  drive  to  despair.  What  costly  volume, 
what  hoary  hermit,  Avhat  divinely-commissioned  priest, 
what  sacred  oracle,  shall  teach  us  ? 

Blessed  be  God,  there  is  an  answer.    Thanks  to  him, 


PRAYER    A     PRIVILEGE.  17 

there  is  an  authoritative  volume  which  saith,  "  0  thou 
that  hearest  prayer,  unto  thee  shall  all  flesh  come  !  " 
which  saith,  "  There  is  one  ,  Mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus  ;  "  which  saith,  "Where- 
fore, let  us  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that 
we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time 
of  need ; ''  which  saith,  "A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart, 
0  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise."  Here  is  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  for  all  men.  The  question  is  answered. 
"  Return  unto  thy  rest,  0  my  soul !  " 


n.     PRAYER   A   PRIVILEGE. 

The  Scriptures  everywhere  take  it  for  granted  that 
believers  will  pray.  Our  Lord  does  not  so  much  enjoin 
the  duty  as  teach  us  how  to  perform  it.  All  who  are 
adopted  into  his  family  will  of  course  cry,  "xibba, 
Father ;  "  for  a  prayerless  disciple  is  a  paradox.  So 
characteristic  is  prayer  of  the  Christian  that  beyond 
almost  anything  else  it  inspires  confidence  in  the  sin- 
corit}^  of  his  profession.  When  Ananias  was  sent  with 
a  fraternal  salutation  to  one  whom  he  had  known  only 
as  a  furious  persecutor,  the  Lord  said,  "  Behold,  he 
prayeth."  Had  he  never  prayed  before  ?  He  had 
only  said  his  prayers ;  he  had  made  prayers,  many  and 
long ;  had  punctiliously  been  at  prayers,  without  ever 
praying. 

Bending  the  knee,  or  pouring  out  words  toward 
heaven,  is  not  devotion.  The  man  who  rejects  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  or  hates  his  true  followers,  cannot  pray. 
Prayer  is  the  cry  of  penitence  and  humility.     In  order 

2* 


18  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

to  pray  really,  a  man  must  feel  his  sins,  see  his  Saviour, 
and,  because  he  cannot  help  it,  cry,  "  Lord,  Lord  ! " 
One  flash  of  divine  light  teaches  the  Pharisee  more 
that  he  really  needs  to  know  than  all  of  Gamaliel's 
lectures.  What  a  change  it  effects  in  him  !  A  moment 
since,  his  very  breath  was  a  stream  of  fire  to  destroy 
this  sect  of  Nazarenes,  and  the  name  of  Him  by  whom 
they  are  called ;  now  he  breathes  in  suppliance  to  their 
Lord  and  his.  He  is  a  young  convert;  all  young 
converts  pray.  This  is  the  beginning  and  pledge  of 
piety. 

The  Platonist  was  wont  to  reason  thus :  "  He  that 
prays  is  either  worthy  to  receive  what  he  asks,  or 
he  is  unworthy  ;  if  the  former,  he  will  obtain  it,  though 
he  ask  not ;  if  the  latter,  he  shall  not  obtain  it,  though 
he  ask."  But  where  is  the  worthy  recipient  to  be 
found?  Alas  for  us,  if  we  were  to  receive  no  more 
than  we  deserve  !  Overwhelmed  by  guilt,  sinking 
under  the  load  of  our  necessities,  Avhat  shall  we  do  ? 
Application  to  God  we  must  make  ;  a  hearing  we  must 
have,  or  we  perish.     Can  he  be  approached  ? 

Behold,  heaven  and  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot 
contain  him !  Behold,  all  these  worlds  above  us  have 
come  forth  at  his  bidding ;  by  his  hand  are  upheld  and 
guided ;  every  particle  and  every  movement  are  con- 
stantly observed  by  him ;  and  in  his  own  peculiar  home 
thousand  thousands  of  holy  angels  minister  unto  him ; 
to  each  thought,  each  note,  of  theirs  he  gives  heed. 
But  does  God  care  for  men  ?  Can  he  afford  time,  and 
can  the  universe  afford  to  have  him  stoop  to  the  cries 
of  little  creatures  on  this  poor  planet  ? 

Let  it  be  announced  that  once  in  the  world's  life  of 


PRAYER    A    PRIVILEGE.  19 

six  thousand  years,  Jehovali  will  hold  his  court  on 
earth ;  that  he  will  bow  the  heavens  and  come  down 
to  hear  petitions  frora  the  childi'en  of  men ;  that  all 
who  will  may  come  and  offer  each  a  request.  Should 
we  not  look  for  a  universal  jubilee  ?  Would  not  the 
mountain-tops  be  lighted  up  to  guide  thronging  pil- 
grims to  the  spot  ?  Would  not  all  the  valleys  ring  with 
hallelujahs  at  such  condescension  ?  Would  not  every 
hymn  to  the  end  of  time  rehearse  the  event  ? 

Widen  the  supposition :  let  it  be  an  annual  visit 
which  the  King  of  kings  will  make  for  tliis  purpose ; 
what  should  then  be  said  ?  Advance  farther,  yes,  to 
the  amplitude  of  actual  facts,  to  the  gracious  certainty 
that,  not  yearly  alone,  but  every  hour,  every  moment, 
God  stands  ready  to  hear  the  supplication  of  each  child 
of  Adam ;  not  merely  one  solitary  address,  but  all 
devout  aspirations,  however  multiplied.  Who  has  a 
mind  large  enough  to  comprehend,  or  a  heart  warm 
enough  to  speak  of  a  truth  like  this  ? 

Let  us  come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace.  Not 
the  throne  of  state  ;  not  the  throne  of  judgment,  such 
as  Daniel  saw,  to  which  we  are  not  invited  but  shall  be 
summoned.  We  lift  our  eyes  far  above  Sinai,  above 
Ararat,  to  the  "  hill  of  God,"  where  is  the  throne  of 
grace.  Does  not  a  holy  rapture  kindle  in  every  eye 
that  discovers  it,  that  sees  the  rainbow  round  about  it, 
the  sea  of  glass  before  it,  and  the  pure  river  proceed- 
ing out  of  it  ?  The  skiU  of  mortals  never  fashioned, 
poetry  never  dreamed  of  such.  Was  the  ancient  sanc- 
tuary gorgeous  and  glorious  with  its  holiest  of  all,  its 
golden  censer,  and  the  ark  of  the  covenant  overlaid 
round  about  with  gold,  and  over  it  the  cherubim  shad- 


20  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

owing  the  mercy-seat  ?  That  was  but  dimly  symbolic 
of  the  great  Propitiatory  on  high.  Is  there  not  some 
mistake  in  regard  to  our  being  invited  to  do  anything 
more  than  look  from  a  distance  at  that  wonderful 
object,  —  that  we  are  invited  actually  to  approach  it? 
The  One  who  speaks  knows  whereof  he  affirms.  We 
are  not  sent  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome  or  Jerusalem ; 
not  bidden  to  climb  the  stairs  of  St.  Peter,  nor  bow 
toward  Mecca.  To  the  most  costly  throne  in  the  uni- 
verse are  we  invited  to  come  ;  and  how  freely  I 

It  was  said  anciently  of  an  earnest  female  Christian, 
"  She  is  modestly  impudent  before  God."  Who  is 
there  that  asks  up  to  the  measui'e  of  his  privileges,  up 
to  the  measure  of  God's  ability  and  readiness  to  grant, 
up  to  the  scope  and  full  encouragement  of  that  throne 
to  which  he  is  invited?  Other  thrones  are  usually 
guarded.  Access  is  infrequent,  always  difficult,  and 
often  impracticable.  Here,  with  a  right  spirit,  one  may 
go  boldly,  and  expect  free  access. 

When  may  this  be  enjoyed  ?  In  time  of  need. 
Sickness  is  a  time  of  need  ;  disaster  is  a  time  of  need ; 
business  perplexity,  domestic  pei-plexity,  is  a  time  of 
need.  It  is  a  time  of  need  when  the  young  man  goes 
forth  to  an  untried  situation ;  when  the  husband  and 
father  leaves  his  family  for  a  season ;  when  the  way- 
wardness of  children  fills  parental  hearts  with  solici- 
tude. Does  the  hour  ever  pass  which  is  not  spiritually 
a  time  of  need,  —  need  of  the  mercy  of  forgiveness, 
need  of  strengthening,  illuminating  grace  ?  Does  the 
moment  ever  come  when  there  is  no  exposure  from  a 
wicked  world,  a  busy  adversary,  or  a  roving  heart ; 
when  no  more  of  light,  peace,  faith,  or  fervor  remains 


PllAYER     A     PRIVILEGE.  21 

to  be  desired  ?  Constant  as  is  our  want,  so  constant 
is  access  to  the  throne  and  the  ready  ear  of  Him  who 
sits  thereon.  He  has  no  set  hours  for  audience.  From 
earhest  morning  till  nightfall,  and  onward  through  the 
night-watches,  he  bends  patiently  to  every  suppliant. 
For  each  one  there  is  a  private  passage  up  to  the  throne ; 
and  from  every  sick-room,  every  nursery,  every  count- 
ing-room or  workshop,  may  be  found  direct  approach 
to  the  mercy-seat. 


II 


EFFICACY    OF    PRAYER. 


I.    EFFICACY   DEFINED. 

*HE  main  question  is  not  the  general 
acceptableness  to  God  of  devotional 
exercises.  That  suitable  addresses  of 
any  kind  are  pleasing  to  him,  there  can 
be  no  doubt;  this  is  a  dictate  of  nat- 
ural religion.  But  there  are  those  in 
Christian  lands  who  maintain  that  only 
thanksgiving  and  praise  are  appropriate 
forms  of  devotion.  They  never  venture 
upon  a  request ;  they  define  worship  as  nearly  synony- 
mous with  adoration,  and  exclude  supplication. 

Petition  is  now  contemplated ;  not  a  piously  discur- 
sive movement  of  mind  toward  sacred  themes  ;  not 
merely  devout  meditation  on  nature,  eternity,  the 
heavens,  or  on  Him  who  sits  enthroned  above  them. 
Shall  the  soul  come  face  to  face  with  Him  who  is  a 
spirit  and  offer  specific  requests  ? 

It  is  not  maintained  that  other  devotional  exercises 
are  inappropriate  or  valueless.  We  only  oppose  the 
idea  of  those  who  deny  all  direct  efficacy  in  supplica- 
tion, and  who  affirm  that  properly  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  an  answer  to  petitions ;  that  all  the  good 
derived  is  by  way  of  reaction  on  the  worshipper,  his 


EFFICACY     DEFINED.  23 

heart  being  thus  fitted  for  blessings.  This  is  subver- 
sive of  the  main  office  and  chief  value  of  prayer,  which, 
as  an  appointment  of  Heaven,  has  real  power. 

Belief  in  this  truth  is  necessary  in  order  to  derive 
even  reflex  benefits.  The  inner  world  is  not  moved 
except  by  a  fulcrum  outside  itself  Only  when  duties 
are  performed  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  God, 
and  so  for  their  own  sake,  is  there  healthful  reaction. 
To  ask  God  for  humility  or  faith,  simply  because  the 
asking  tends  to  make  one  humble  and  believing; 
to  ask  him  for  temporal  favors  only  as  an  incitement  to 
greater  efibrt  in  obtaining  them  ourselves,  is  a  species 
of  ceremonious  mockery,  of  devotional  impertinence, 
which  no  honest  person  will  be  likely  to  practise. 
Complimentary  petitions  are  an  insult  to  God,  and  too 
circuitous  a  method  for  upright  men.  Praying  on  such 
a  scheme  has  no  heart.  There  is  needed  a  belief  that 
God  answers  prayer;  that  suitable  requests,  offered 
with  the  proper  motive,  and  with  faith  in  Christ,  do 
certainly  bring  answers,  which  otherwise  would  not 
come.  The  main  benefit  of  prayer  lies  in  its  efficiency; 
that  it  is  the  appointed  means  to  that  end ;  that  it  is 
the  provided  conduit  for  certain  blessings.  Neglect 
that,  and  these  refreshing  streams  will  not  flow. 

In  the  spiritual  kingdom,  as  in  the  kingdom  of 
nature,  are  certain  universal  laws,  among  which  is  that 
of  cause  and  effect,  means  and  end.  Amidst  the 
abounding  illustrations  of  this  appointment,  we  find 
supplication  to  be  an  ordained  condition  of  certain 
favors  from  God.  The  chief  point  is,  whether  devout 
petitions  are,  in  any  proper  sense,  answered  ;  whether 
the  requests  of  a  suppliant  do  literally  stand  in  the 


24  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

relation  of  means  toward  securing  what  is  asked  ? 
Does  God  bestow  that  which  he  would  not  bestow  but 
for  petitions  ?  Does  he  arrange  his  providential  and 
gracious  dispensations  in  accordance  with  prayer  ? 

No  one  will  affirm  that  everything  called  prayer  is 
effective.  Much  that  passes  under  the  name  of  devo- 
tion is  of  little  use ;  but  can  anything  be  more  unrea- 
sonable than  to  argue  from  such  abuse  against  what  is 
genuine  ?  In  speaking  of  prayer,  it  is  assumed  that 
there  enter  into  it  the  essential  properties  of  faith  and 
love,  —  faith  in  the  mediation  of  Christ  and  the  prom- 
ises of  God ;  love  to  God  as  the  highest  motive,  and 
disinterested  love  to  man,  with  which  penitence  and 
humility  are  always  associated. 

As  for  proof  of  its  efficacy,  it  is  enough  that  God 
requires  prayer;  that  he  has  promised  to  answer  it, 
and  for  thousands  of  years  has  been  fulfilling  the 
promise ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he  rebukes  the 
prayerless.  How  are  such  requirements  and  assuran- 
ces to  be  taken  ?  As  mere  oriental  imagery,  setting 
forth  the  simple  truth  that  acts  of  devotion  have  a 
salutary  influence  upon  the  worshipper?  Does  our  God 
thus  mock  his  children  ?  Is  his  merely  a  figurative 
sincerity  and  fidelity  ?  Let  his  own  word  interpret : 
"  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we  are, 
and  he  prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  not  rain ;  and  it 
rained  not  on  the  earth  by  the  space  of  three  years  and 
six  months.  And  he  prayed  again,  and  the  heaven 
gave  rain,  and  the  earth  brought  forth  her  fruit.''  Did 
not  the  prayer  of  Moses  stay  the  plague  of  fiery  ser- 
pents ;  that  of  Joshua  arrest  the  sun  and  moon ;  that 
of  Elijah  bring  back  the  departed  soul  of  the  widow's 


EFFICACY    DEFINED.  25 

son ;   that  of  Hezekiah  bring   destruction   upon  the 
Assyrians  ? 

A  childlike  confidence  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer  char- 
acterizes the  hidden  life  of  a  believer,  and  is  the  soul 
of  spiritual  Christianity.  A  conviction  that  beyond 
its  reflex  influence,  independent  of  its  manifold  benign 
effects  upon  the  suppliant,  genuine  prayer  has  a  posi- 
tive and  direct  agency  in  securing  blessings  both 
present  and  future,  both  upon  the  petitioner  and  others, 
—  such  a  belief,  accompanied  by  a  devout  performance 
of  the  duty,  should  exist  in  every  renewed  heart. 
Experience  supplies  ample  confirmation,  every  age 
being  able  to  boast  of  its  heroes  who,  as  princes,  have 
had  power  with  God  and  with  men,  and  have  prevailed. 
Kot  by  prophets  and  apostles  alone  has  such  prayer 
been  offered.  Each  generation  furnishes  examples. 
In  reference  to  the  defeat  of  the  Emperor  Julian's 
designs,  Nazianzen  exclaims,  "How  many  myriads  and 
squadrons  of  men  were  there  whom  we,  only  praying, 
and  God  Vv'illing,  discomfited ! "  The  reformers  of 
the  sixteenth  century  were  eminently  men  who  be- 
lieved and  illustrated  the  same  truth.  "  There  is  a  cer- 
tain omnipotence  in  prayer,"  ^  said  one  of  them.  Queen 
Mary  confessed  that  she  feared  the  prayers  of  John 
Knox  more  than  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men. 
Through  the  whole  history  of  the  church  there  have 
been  men  who,  by  this  instrument, "  subdued  kingdoms, 
wrought  righteousness,  obtained  promises,  stopped  the 
mouths  of  lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  out  of  weakness  were  made 
strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,  turned  to   flight  the 

1  Est  quaedam  precum  omnipotentia. 


26  THE    MEBCY-SEAT. 

armies   of  the   aliens."     "  Prayers  and  tears  are  the 
Christian's  all-prevalent  armor."  ^ 


II.    DOUBTS   AND    DIFFICULTIES. 

One  of  the  early  English  deists  expired  with  these 
words  on  his  lips :  '^  If  there  is  a  God,  I  desire  that  he 
may  have  mercy  on  me."  Forlorn  skeptic  !  The  abyss 
of  darkness  is  opening  to  his  view.  Perverse  specula- 
tion and  vicious  indulgence  have  deadened  his  moral 
sensibilities;  yet,  amidst  the  last  struggle, he  is  aroused 
in  dismay  to  the  consciousness  that  mercy  is  needed. 
But  what  an  impious  eifusion  is  this  paroxysm  of  deis- 
tic  piety  !  With  an  atheistic  doubt,  a  possible  Deity  is 
invoked ! 

As  a  general  thing,  the  heathen  pray  abundantly  in 
their  way,  but  look  to  sacrifices  and  penances  to  pro- 
pitiate the  imaginary  beings  addressed.  Of  a  fixed 
connection  between  simple  prayer  and  the  gift  of 
blessings,  they  know  nothing.  Philosophy  brings  them 
little  light.  Maximus  Tyrius  devotes  a  whole  disserta- 
tion to  the  proof  tliat  we  have  no  need  of  prayer  at 
all.  Seneca  says,  "  It  is  disgraceful  to  keep  wearying 
the  gods.  What  need  is  there  of  vows  ?  Make  thine 
own  self  happy."  With  respect  to  persevering  in  a 
wise  regulation  of  the  mind,  he  exclaims,  "  How  foolish 
is  it  to  wish  to  pray  for  it,  Avhen  thou  canst  give  it  to 
thyself !  There  is  no  need  of  lifting  hands  to  heaven." 
There  was  at  Crete  a  statue  of  Jupiter  devoid  of  ears, 
—  a  symbol  of  the  philosopher's  deity  in  all  ages.     A 

1  Preces  et  lachrymie  arma  Christiauoi-um. 


DOUBTS    AND    DIFFICULTIES.  27 

glance  at  the  writings  of  Lord  Herbert  and  his  infidel 
successors  in  England  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe 
supplies  painful  illustrations  of  this. 

Even  in  the  minds  of  many  pious  persons  there  is  a 
vagueness  of  belief  touching  the  efficacy  of  prayer. 
People  truly  Christian  and  devout  are  sometimes  tor- 
mented with  the  skeptical  suggestion,  ^^  What  profit 
shall  we  have  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?  '^  These  difficul- 
ties present  themselves  to  some  minds  as  embarrass- 
ments, and  to  others  as  objections.  If  harbored,  they 
prove  a  hindrance,  and  may  prove  the  death  of  prayer. 

One  difficulty  arises,  as  is  alleged,  from  the  exalted 
character  of  God.  Will  the  Lord  of  the  universe, 
inquires  a  spurious  humility,  an  affected  reverence,  — 
will  a  Being  of  infinite  majesty  stoop  to  the  petitions 
of  man?  Is  it  not  derogatory  to  him  to  suppose  that 
he  will  occupy  himself  with  the  petty  affairs  of  this 
little  planet ;  that,  infinitely  glorious  and  forever  inde- 
pendent in  himself,  he  can  stoop  to  interests  so  insig- 
nificant as  mine  ?  Is  it  not  presumptuous  to  think  of 
catching  his  attention,  and  still  more  of  laying  before 
him  any  of  my  small  concerns  ? 

But  was  it  beneath  the  Almighty  to  create  a  being 
of  such  little  importance  as  yourself,  and  to  arrange 
all  the  minute  circumstances  that  concern  you?  Can 
it  be  any  more  derogatory  to  him  to  superintend  those 
affairs?  Here  is  one  of  his  chief  glories,  that  he 
constantly  presides  over  the  smallest  objects  and 
events,  no  less  than  the  larger,  —  over  motes  in  our 
atmosphere,  no  less  than  over  worlds  beyond  our 
vision ;  numbering  the  very  hairs  of  our  heads,  and 
caring  for  every  sparrow  that   falls   to   the    ground. 


28  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

Enough  for  us  that  God  himself  does  not  regard  it  as 
beneath  him.  We  are  not  called  upon  to  be  more 
careful  of  his  dignity  than  he  is.  His  infinite  exalta- 
tion did  not  suffer  by  creating  numberless  animalculte 
too  microscopic  for  our  vision^  nor  is  his  providential 
glory  tarnished  by  caring  for  the  lilies.  "Are  ye  not 
of  more  value  than  many  sparrows  ?  '^  Are  not  your 
spiritual  necessities  of  more  importance  than  your 
temporal?  If  he  hear  the  young  ravens  when  they 
cry,  will  he  not  hear  his  own  children  ?  If  he  sends 
the  food  which  perisheth,  will  he  not  send  the  true 
bread  from  heaven  ?  If  he  numbers  your  hairs,  will 
he  not  your  tears  also  ?  You  have  mistaken  the  nature 
of  true  dignity.  You  are  ascribing  somewhat  of  human 
pride  to  the  King  of  kings.  You  seem  not  to  under- 
stand that  one  of  the  brightest  glories  of  the  Supreme 
Being  is  his  gracious  condescension.  Prayer  and  prov- 
idence correspond  to  each  other.  If  there  is  nothing 
beneath  the  divine  oversight,  there  is  nothing  too  triv- 
ial to  be  a  proper  subject  of  devout  mention  to  God. 
He  is  particularly  honored  by  being  recognized  as  pre- 
siding over  the  minutest  equally  with  the  most  magnifi- 
cent objects  and  occurrences. 

The  benevolence  of  God  is  sometimes  pleaded  as  a 
reason  adverse  to  prayer.  "  He  is  infinitely  disposed 
to  grant  every  good  gift  without  our  asking ;  his  desire 
to  bestow  favors  cannot  be  augmented ;  wliile  to  ask 
implies  an  umvillingness,  and  is,  therefore,  an  affront." 

Those  who  advocate  prayer  do  not  yield  to  others  in 
their  appreciation  of  the  divine  goodness.  Has  any 
one  who  prays  intelligently  an  idea  that  he  renders 
God  more  gracious?    We  have  no  suspicion  that  he 


DOUBTS    AND    DIFFICULTIES.  29 

is  indifferent  to  human  affairs,  as  the  Epicureans 
taught;  or  that  lie  is  indisposed  to  do  for  men  all  that 
boundless  benevolence  can  consistently  do.  By  his 
own  nature  he  is  most  benignly  communicative ;  jet 
not  by  necessity  nor  blindly,  but  in  the  exercise  of  a 
wise  discrimination. 

We  believe  that  other  attributes  besides  unmingled 
love  enter  into  the  character  of  God,  and  that  he  has 
other  ends  in  view  besides  the  display  of  this  attribute 
in  dispensing  bounties.  We  believe  justice  to  be  no 
less  a  divine  perfection.  We  believe  the  whole  race 
of  Adam  are  under  a  curse ;  that  all  the  good  they 
experience  is  purely  of  grace,  and  that  one  design  of 
the  present  economy  is  to  make  them  feel  this.  Well 
does  it  harmonize  with  that  to  make  receiving  depend- 
ent upon  asking.  It  is  no  disparagement  to  a  man's 
benevolence  to  say  that  he  is  most  ready  to  give  if 
only  requested.  Does  it  impeach  the  goodness  of  God 
that,  while  he  has  rendered  the  harvest  certain,  he  has 
ordained  that  seed-sowing  shall  precede  ?  Are  devout 
entreaties  any  more  derogatory  to  him  than  the  labors 
of  a  husbandman  ?  It  is  no  more  superfluous  to  offer 
minute  petitions  than  to  sow  kernels  of  seed,  the 
harvest  from  which  God  foresaw  in  past  eternity. 

How  do  you  know,  inquires  the  skeptic,  that  events 
would  not  occur  just  as  they  do  if  no  prayer  were 
offered  ?  How  do  you  knoiv,  we  reply,  that  they  would 
occur  as  they  do  if  prayer  were  not  offered?  How  do 
you  know  that  this  does  not  stand  in  the  relation  of 
means  to  an  end,  as  much  as  anything  else  which  pre- 
cedes those  events  ?  WiU  it  not  be  as  well  to  take  the 
testimony  of  Him  who  alone  can  answer  the  question  ? 

3* 


30  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

He  to  whom  all  liis  works  are  known  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world  has  enjoined  prayer  as  a  duty ;  has 
given  explicit  promises  that  when  duly  offered  it  shall 
be  answered ;  has  furnished  an  illustrative  record  of 
numerous  instances  of  its  efficacy;  and  what  more 
need  be  said? 

The  honest  mind,  however,  as  well  as  the  one  uni- 
formly skeptical,  finds  difficulties,  and  is  sometimes 
fiercely  assailed  with  doubts.  The  inquiry  comes.  Is 
not  God  omniscient  ?  Why,  then,  tell  to  him  wants,  or 
express  wishes  in  regard  to  events  distant  or  future, 
which  he  already  understands  infinitely  better  than 
the  suppliant?  An  English  deist ^  employs  this  as  an 
argument  against  all  prayer,  and  scoffs  at  the  idea  of 
addressing  God  in  any  way,  since  all  that  can  be  said 
is  perfectly  known  to  him  before  it  is  uttered. 

True,  it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  information  that 
God  bids  us  pour  out  our  hearts  before  him.  He  never 
sleeps,  is  never  languid,  nor  unobservant ;  but  by  his 
omniscience  he  sees  that  prayer  is  the  most  effectual 
means  through  which  the  sinner  can  obtain  the  self- 
knowledge  he  needs,  that  this  is  indispensable  as  evi- 
dence that  the  petitioner  feels  his  own  wants  and  the 
wants  of  others,  and  that  the  exercise  of  believing 
supplication  is  the  most  important  means  which  could 
be  ordained  for  securing  certain  results  in  the  great 
spiritual  kingdom. 

Another  difficulty,  sometimes  avowed  as  an  objec- 
tion, is  the  immutability  of  God.  His  purposes,  cover- 
ing the  whole  course  of  human  events,  were  formed  in 
eternity,  and  are  irreversible.     Hence,  affirms  the  ob- 

1  Chubb. 


DOUBTS    AND    DIFFICULTIES.  31 

jector,  it  seems  vain  and  impertinent  to  offer  peti- 
tions. 

Thanks  that  he  is  unchangeable  1  It  never  was  de- 
signed that  prayer  should  move  him  to  vary  his  plan 
of  government,  or  any  particular  appointment.  Our 
security  and  confidence  are  grounded  upon  this  very 
truth  of  divine  unchangeableness ;  for  among  the  eter- 
nal and  unalterable  purposes  of  Jehovah  was  this  :  that 
prayer  should  have  part  as  an  agency,  as  a  means  in 
our  world  ;  that  it  should  be  as  truly  indispensable  and 
efiicient  as  any  other.  The  succession  of  events  he 
so  pre-arranged  that  each  petition  was  to  have  its 
place  and  influence  no  less  certainly  than  the  sowing 
of  seed  before  a  crop,  or  the  promise  of  a  reward  be- 
fore the  doing  of  an  act.  In  order,  then,  that  an 
answer  may  come,  it  is  so  far  from  being  necessary 
that  God  should  change  his  purpose  or  system,  it  is 
necessary  that  he  should  not  change.  He  must  re- 
verse one  of  his  precious  decrees  before  prayer  can 
cease  to  have  efficiency — can  cease  to  be  a  real,  living 
power  amon-g  the  agencies  of  his  all-wise  appointment. 
If  there  were  any  force  in  the  objection,  it  would  lie 
equally  against  every  form  of  human  activity,  and 
would  stop  short  of  nothing  but  the  starkest  fatalism. 
God  from  all  eternity  determined,  and  in  his  Word  has 
bound  himself  to  hear  prayer ;  he  administers  his 
providence  under  this  as  truly  as  under  his  other  -de- 
crees ;  and  he  is  unchangeably  faithful.  In  the  whole 
realm  of  divine  government  there  is  nothing  more  cer 
tain  than  that  we  shall  "  have  profit,"  direct  and  re- 
flexive, primary  and  incidental,  if  we  call  upon  him. 
Prayer  is  not  only  aline  for  drawing  the  boat  to  the 


32  •  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

shore ;  it  is  a  line  attaching  it  to  the  majestic,  swift- 
sailing  ship.  Being  drawn,  it  has  influence  also  in 
steering. 

ni.     PRAYER   A   TELEGRAPH. 

It  was  a  noble  achievement  of  modern  science, 
when  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shores  of  our  country 
were  brought  into  immediate  intercourse.  Still  more 
sublime  was  the  event  of  instantaneous  communica- 
tion between  two  remote  continents,  —  when  persons 
began  to  talk  across' and  under  the  ocean,  and  it  was 
supposed  that  almost  as  readily  as  messages  are  sent 
at  night  from  the  outer  door  to  the  pillow  of  a  physi- 
cian, they  might  be  sent  through  the  dark  and  silent 
sea  to  a  friend  thousands  of  miles  away.  No  inter- 
continental event  so  stirring  had  transpired  since  Co- 
lumbus's first  voyage  of  more  than  two  hundred  days. 
It  was  fitting  that  there  should  be  demonstrations  of 
delight  in  the  ringing  of  bells,  in  processions  and  illu- 
minations, at  an  occurrence  which  was  announced  sim- 
ultaneously in  the  evening  journals  of  two  hemispheres, 
and  which  was  to  give  impulse  to  the  whole  civilized 
world,  helping  on  to  a  practical  ubiquity  of  enterpris- 
ing minds,and  to  a  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of 
all  nations. 

If  now  from  this  world,  as  Yalentia  Harbor,  there 
were  carried  a  cable  across  the  vast  ocean  of  space, 
touching  at  the  moon ;  then  at  the  nearest  planet  of 
our  system ;  thence  to  the  farthest  one ;  thence  to 
some  fixed  star ;  and  so  onward,  from  constellation  to 
constellation,  till   that    distant    place    were    reached, 


PRAYER     A     TELEGRAPH.  33 

where  we  may  suppose  is  the  more  immediate  presence 
of  God  —  the  Trinity  Bay  of  the  universe,  —  and  thus 
between  that  remote  abode  and  our  world,  this  mere 
islet  of  the  great  sea,  instantaneous  communications 
could  take  place,  what  a  sensation  ought  it  to  create  ! 
How  should  the  mountain-tops  be  lighted  up !  How 
would  the  spheres  give  a  new  and  louder  chorus ;  the 
sun  come  forth  from  his  tabernacle  with  a  more 
smiling  face,  and  the  pale  moon  fill  her  horns  anew ; 

"  While  all  the  stars  that  round  her  burn, 
And  all  the  planets  in  their  tui'n, 
Confirm  the  tidings  as  they  roll, 
And  spread  the  tnith  from  pole  to  pole." 

Such  a  spiritual  telegraph  exists  ;  it  was  laid  cen- 
turies ago,  and  has  held  two  worlds  in  unbroken 
connection. 

The  great  mass  of  men,  however,  seem  to  have  no 
practical  belief  in  any  real  intercourse  between  heaven 
and  earth.  The  only  Son  of  Him  who  put  the  worlds 
thus  in  communication  has  come  hither  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  truth :  ^'  Pray  to  thy  Father  in  secret,  and 
thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee 
openly.'"'  Did  not  that  Son  come  from  the  bosom  of 
the  Father  ?  Is  he  not  perfectly  acquainted  with  the 
whole  system  of  intercourse,  and  with  all  arrange- 
ments at  the  celestial  station  ? 

A  well-known  European  astronomer  was  accustomed 
to  announce  his  discoveries  in  a  publication  called 
Nuncius  Siderius,  or  Herald  of  the  Heavens.  There 
have  been  spiritual  astronomers,  men  familiar  with  the 
celestial  mechanism,  who  have  published  their  obser- 
vations.     It  is  certainly  pertinent  to  take  the  testi- 


34  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

mony  of  witnesses  who  have  made  proof  of  the  real- 
ity and  power  of  this  instrument.  Going  back  to  an 
early  period,  and  looking  into  the  biography  of  the 
father  of  the  faithful,  we  find  this  wonderful  appara- 
tus in  full  play.  Abraham  said  unto  God,  "  Oh  that 
Ishmael  might  live  before  thee  ! "  and  the  answer  was, 
^'  As  for  Ishmael,  I  have  heard  thee."  In  the  memo- 
rable intercession  for  Sodom,  what  rapid  and  repeated 
transmissions  from  earth  to  heaven  and  from  heaven  to 
earth  !  The  great  general  and  lawgiver  of  Israel,  at 
a  certain  juncture,  said,  "  I  beseech  thee  show  me  thy 
glory ; "  and  the  answer  was  returned,  "  I  will  make 
all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee."  Samuel,  urged  by 
the  elders  of  Israel  to  give  them  a  king,  prayed  to  the 
Lord ;  and  the  Lord  said  unto  Samuel,  ^^  Hearken  unto 
the  voice  of  the  people  in  all  they  say  unto  thee." 
In  critical  circumstances,  David  inquired  of  the  Lord, 
''Shall  I  go  and  smite  these  Philistines?"  and  the 
word  came  to  David,  "  Go  and  smite  the  Philistines." 
One  of  the  longest  despatches  of  old  was  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  Solomon's  temple.  The  immediate  response 
ran  thus :  "  I  have  heard  thy  prayer  and  thy  supplica- 
tion which  thou  hast  made  before  me."  It  was  in  the 
temple,  and  while  at  prayer,  the  message  came  to  Paul, 
"  Make  haste,  and  get  thee  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem." 
■  Answers  have  also  come  without  words  in  the  be- 
stowment  of  what  was  asked.  While  Abraham's  ser- 
vant was  saying,  "  I  pray  thee  send  me  good  speed 
this  day,"  behold  Rebecca  presented  herself.  When 
the  children  of  Israel  fell  into  idolatry  in  the  very 
light  of  burning  Sinai,  Moses  besought  the  Lord, 
"  Turn  from  thy  fierce  wrath,"  "  and  the  Lord  repented 


PRAYER    A    TELEGRAPH.  35 

of  the  evil  which  he  thought  to  do  unto  his  people." 
Samuel  asks  for  thunder  and  rain  amidst  the  wheat 
harvest;  and  ^^the  Lord  sent  thunder  and  rain  that 
day."  Elijah  prays  for  rain,  and  the  heaven  gives 
rain.  He  prays  for  the  restoration  of  a  widow's  son, 
and  the  soul  of  the  child  comes  into  him  again. 
The  supplication  of  Asa  went  up,  "  Help  us,  0  Lord 
our  God  ;  "  so  "  the  Lord  smote  the  Ethiopians  before 
Asa  and  before  Judah."  Peter  prays  in  the  room  of 
Dorcas,  and  she  opens  her  eyes.  Can  any  one  doubt 
the  reality  of  intercourse  between  heaven  and  earth 
through  the  medium  of  prayer  ? 

This  spiritual  telegraph  is  no  private  enterprise ; 
nor  is  it  designed  for  the  few,  but  for  the  many,  and  is 
open  gratuitously  to  all.  The  old  man  and  the  child, 
the  learned  man  and  the  one  who  can  neither  read 
nor  write,  the  millionnaire  and  the  beggar,  are  alike 
welcome  to  the  freest  use. 

There  are  no  mistakes  in  transmission.  Much  as  it 
may  be  crowded,  various  as  messages  may  be  in 
length,  topic,  and  character,  they  are  sent  forward 
without  loss  of  a  word.  Be  the  language  what  it 
may,  grammatical  imperfections  what  they  may,  there 
is  no  confusion  and  no  inaccuracy  when  despatches 
reach  their  destination.  Peter  on  the  house-top,  the 
thief  on  the  cross,  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  Jeremiah 
in  the  dungeon,  Jonah  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  may 
alike  send  up  a  word.  Every  one,  at  home  or  abroad, 
by  land  or  sea,  in  the  counting-room,  the  closet,  or  the 
sanctuary,  can  lay  his  hands  at  once  upon  the  keys  of 
this  divine  instrument.  Break  or  derangement  can 
never  take  place.  Constant  access  and  constant  suc- 
cess are  the  privilege  of  all. 


3G  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Signals  often  come  from  above,  sensible  intimations 
from  the  other  world.  The  first  recorded  prayer  in 
the  Bible  is  Abraham's,  when  Jehovah  specially  re- 
vealed himself.  "  Thou  wilt  prepare  their  heart,  thou 
wilt  cause  thine  ear  to  hear.''  With  v/hat  promptness 
should  these  divine  hints  be  heeded !  With  what 
eagerness  should  every  such  gracious  monition  of  our 
Father's  special  desire  to  communicate  with  his  chil- 
dren be  noticed  !  It  is  peculiarly  the  time  for  Esther 
to  make  known  her  requests  when  the  king,  stretch- 
ing out  his  sceptre,  invites  her  approach. 

Here  is  the  ladder  Jacob  saw,  reaching  to  heaven, 
and  on  which  angels  ascend  and  descend.  Who  need 
ever  be  lonely?  Here  is  a  nerve  going  direct  to 
the  central  heart  of  the  unseen  world,  and  along 
which  every  feeling,  every  desire,  may  pulsate  imme- 
diately and  sensibly  to  Him  who  is  head  of  the  church ; 
and  along  which  in  return  the  Holy  Spirit  sends  the 
fulness  of  his  consolation  to  waiting  souls. 

A  British  soldier  in  India  was  lying  near  death. 
He  had  neglected  and  even  reviled  religion ;  but  now 
he  was  dying,  and  had  no  one  near  to  tell  him  how  he 
might  be  saved.  He  bethought  himself  of  a  Christian 
friend  living  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
miles,  to  whom  he  sent  a  telegraphic  message,  '^  I  am 
dying ;  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  Instantly  the 
message  went  back  to  him,  '^  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Thus  mes- 
sages kept  passing  till  the  soldier  sank  in  death ;  and 
he  expired  with  words  of  hope  and  joy  on  his  lips.  To 
every  wounded,  sin-sick  mortal  there  is  telegraphed 
from  the  best  of  friends,  ''  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  I     Look  unto  me,  and  be  saved  I  '^ 


Ill 


THE    BEING    ADDRESSED. 


I.     GOD    THE   SON. 

HE  character  of  every  system  of  reli- 
gious belief  is  determined  mainly  by  the 
received  character  of  the  being  wor- 
shipped. The  kind  of  homage  paid 
shows  what  views  are  entertained  of 
him,  and  what  influence  those  views 
have  upon  the  worshipper. 
A  personal,  intelligent,  supreme  Being 
alone  can  be  the  proper  object  of  worship. 
The  dreamy  mood  which  utters  itself  in  a  semi-reli- 
gious dialect ;  the  liveliness  of  fancy  which,  with  im- 
passioned or  plaintive  language,  apostrophizes  clouds, 
sun,  heaven,  nature,  the  unknoAvn  God,  is  no  part  of 
Christian  worship.  A  great  deal  of  poetical  solilo- 
quizing passes  under  the  name  of  devotion.  Bhap- 
sody  on  the  infinite,  the  beautiful,  the  good,  may 
abound,  and  there  be  no  just  apprehension  of  the  ador- 
able Creator,  and  no  emotion  of  true  piety.  If  any- 
thing be  adored,  it  is  the  stars,  trees,  and  streams. 
We  have  seen  these  mawkish  idolaters 


'  Pluck  a  wild  daisy,  moralize  on  that, 
And  drop  a  tear  for  an  expiring  gnat, 
Watch  the  light  clouds  o'er  distant  hills  that  pass, 
Or  write  a  sonnet  to  a  blade  of  grass  ; " 
4  8T 


38  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

we  have  found  them  alive  to  all  that  is  vast  and  beau- 
tiful in  creation,  but  with  hearts  apparently  hard  as 
the  frequented  rocks  they  sit  upon.  It  is  one  thing 
to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  quite 
another  to  burn  incense  on  high  places ;  "  to  take  up 
the  star  of  their  god  Remphan,  figures  which  they 
have  made  to  worship  them." 

That  God  as  such,  or  that  God  the  Father,  is  to  be 
worshipped,  no  one  questions.  But  is  Jesus  Christ 
entitled  to  divine  honors  ?  If  not,  then  most  of  the  pray- 
ers offered  by  evangelical  Christians  for  centuries  have 
been,  not  a  volume  of  sweet-smelling  incense,  but  a 
cloud  of  continued  offence  to  Jehovah.  The  settle- 
ment of  this  question  depends  upon  Holy  Scripture. 
The  proposition  is  not.  Shall  we  pay  to  him,  as  the 
Son  of  God,  a  subordinate  homage ;  shall  we  honor 
him  as  an  ambassador  or  representative  of  Deity?  but, 
Shall  we  render  to  him  supreme  religious  worship  ;  shall 
we  honor  him  in  the  same  way,  to  the  same  extent, 
and  for  the  same  reason,  that  we  honor  the  Father  ?  " 

To  exhibit  a  complete  view  of  Bible  testimony,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  examine  the  titles  given  to  our 
Lord,  as  God,  the  true  God,  the  great  God,  the  Lord 
of  glory;  to  glance  at  the  peculiar  works  of  Deity 
ascribed  to  him,  as  the  creation  and  preservation  of 
all  things  ;  the  miracles  wrought  by  him  ;  forgiveness 
of  sins  granted  by  him ;  and  the  future  judgment  to  be 
dispensed  by  him ;  as  well  as  other  proofs  that  the  Son 
is  equal  and  one  with  the  Father. 

Waiving  that  primary  evidence,  we  will  examine 
the  direct  testimony.  Even  in  this  department,  we 
pass  by  certain  classes  of  proof-texts  and  all  the  Old 


GODTHESON.  39 

Testament  Scriptures  so  far  as  pertinent  to  the  sub- 
ject. We  also  pass  over  those  acts  toward  Christ  in 
the  period  of  his  humihation,  and  before  he  rose  from 
the  dead,  and  ascended  on  high ;  such  as  that  of  the 
wise  men  who  '^  fell  down  and  worshipped  him ;  "  of 
the  leper  who  '^  cometh  and  worshippeth  him ;  "  of  the 
ruler  avIio  '^  came  and  worshipped  him  ;  "  of  the  disci- 
ples who  "  came  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Truly 
thou  art  the  Son  of  God;"  of  the  Syrophoenician 
woman  who  "  came  and  worshipped  him ;  "  and  of  the 
mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  who  ^'  came  to  him 
worshipping.''  The  reason  why  we  refrain  from  urg- 
ing these  as  instances  of  supreme,  intelligent  homage, 
and  as  such  proving  the  divinity  of  Jesus,  is,  that  in 
each  of  them  an  objector  may  with  comparative  plau- 
sibility raise  the  question  whether,  at  that  period,  any 
one  had  a  distinct  apprehension  that  in  the  highest 
sense  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God ;  and  hence,  whether 
these  persons  intended  anything  more  than  social 
respect,  though  most  profound,  —  such  respect  as  they 
paid  the  Messiah,  without  having  attained  to  the  full 
conception  of  Avhat  he  was  to  be.  The  argument  is 
abundantly  cogent  without  these  citations. 

Looking  at  our  Lord's  own  claims,  we  find  him 
declaring  "  that  all  men  should  honor  the  Son  even  as 
they  honor  the  Father."  This  is  of  itself  explicit ; 
but  the  context  shuts  us  up  to  one  interpretation. 
Jesus  had  just  healed  the  impotent  man,  and  it  was 
done  on  the  Sabbath.  For  this  reason,  the  Jews  were 
so  enraged  that  they  sought  his  life.  '^  But  Jesus 
answered  them,  My  Father  worketh  hitherto  and  I 
work : "  God  the  Father  continues  constantly  his  prov- 


40  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

idential  operations ;  he  pauses  not  on  the  Sabbath. 
I  the  Son,  by  the  same  right,  do  likewise.  Was  not 
this  Christ's  meaning?  Did  not  his  hearers  so  under- 
stand him  ?  Let  the  next  verse  answer :  "  Therefore, 
the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill  him,  because  he  not 
only  had  broken  the  Sabbath,  but  said  also  that  God 
was  his  Father,  making  himself  equal  with  God." 
Here  was  the  time  for  Christ  to  explain  if  his  hearers 
were  laboring  under  any  important  misconception  as  to 
his  meaning.  No  honest  man  could  suffer  them  to  con- 
tinue in  a  mistake  less  grave  ;  how  then  in  one  that  is 
so  vital  ?  But  what  did  the  Great  Teacher  do  ?  Did 
he  rectify  or  did  he  substantiate  the  inference  which 
the  Jews  made  ?  A  few  moments  after,  and  in  imme- 
diate confirmatory  connection,  he  said  to  them,  ^^  As 
the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth  them, 
even  so  the  Son  quickeneth  whom  he  v/ill.  For  the 
Father  judge th  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judg- 
ment unto  the  Son ;  that  all  men  should  honor  the  Son, 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father."  The  case  stands 
thus :  The  Jews  are  exasperated  against  Christ  for  a 
supposed  profanation  of  the  Sabbath ;  Christ  justifies 
his  act  on  the  ground  that  he,  as  well  as  God  the 
Father,  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath.  The  Jews  are  all  the 
more  excited  by  this,  thinking  it  blasphemous  in  him 
to  claim  equality  with  God  the  Father.  Jesus  imme- 
diately sanctions  the  construction  thus  put  upon  his 
words,  by  affirming  that  he  does  now  and  will  yet  per- 
form divine  works  as  well  as  the  Father;  and  hence 
that  he  is  equally  entitled  to  divine  honor.  Plainly 
does  he  claim  religious  worship  for  himself. 

Turn  to  John  xiv.  13.    "  And  whatsoever  ye  shall 


GOD    THE    SOX.  41 

ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be 
glorified  in  the  Son."  To  offer  supplications  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  with  the  expectation  of  receiving 
answers  directly  from  him,  is  to  worship  him.  Open 
to  the  baptismal  formulary,  and  hear  the  risen  Jesus 
proclaiming,  ^'  2VII  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth ;  go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Accordingly,  believers 
were  baptized  in  the  name  of  Christ.  But  that  is  an  act 
of  solemn  religious  dedication,  implying  explicit  recog- 
nition of  the  divine  dignity  and  authority  of  him  in 
whose  name  the  rite  is  administered.  From  these 
passages  it  is  abundantly  evident  that  Jesus  Christ 
claims  divine  honors  in  the  highest  degree. 

Did  he,  while  personally  present  on  earth,  do  any- 
thing clearly  sanctioning  such  worship?  We  have 
already  volunteered  to  exclude  from  testimony  to  be 
cited  numerous  instances,  in  which,  apparently,  to  say 
the  least,  individuals  designed  to  pay  him  a  kind  of 
homage  which  they  would  not  have  paid  to  any  one 
whom  they  regarded  as  merely  man.  But  after  Christ's 
resurrection,  —  the  event  to  which  he  had  referred  his 
disciples  as  justifying  his  claims, — he  received  homage 
repeatedly  before  ascending  to  heaven.  That  homage 
must  have  been  comparatively  intelligent;  and  the 
presumption  is  that  it  was  paid  and  received  as  strict- 
ly religious.  The  women  who  had  been  to  the  sepul- 
chre, when  hailed  by  Jesus,  "  came  and  held  him  by 
the  feet,  and  worshipped  him."  Afterward,  the  eleVen 
disciples,  ^^  when  they  saw. him,  worshipped  him." 

If,  however,  any  are  skeptical   in   regard   to   these 
4* 


42  THE    MERCY -SEAT.* 

instances,  no  one  can  have  a  reasonable  doubt  as  to 
that  of  Thomas  when  he  said,  "My  Lord  and  my 
God ! "  This  was  not  an  exclamation  so  much  as  a 
confession  of  faith.  The  incredulous  disciple,  behold- 
ing Christ  with  his  own  eyes,  is  bidden  by  him  to  exam- 
ine the  print  of  the  nails  and  spear;  thus  convincing 
himself  of  the  reality  of  Christ's  person.  He  is  then 
charged,  "Be  not  fliithless,  but  believing.''  "And 
Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord  and  my 
God ! "  The  connection  and  deliberateness  of  the 
reply  are  noteworthy.  Jesus  presented  to  the  senses 
and  to  the  mind  of  the  disciple,  who  had  probably 
before  this  relinquished  his  unwarrantable  doubts,  the 
proofs  that  he  was  the  very  same  person  who  had 
claimed  equality  with  the  Father,  and  had  also  pre- 
dicted his  own  death  and  resurrection.  He  says  to 
Thomas  substantially,  Can  you  doubt  any  longer? 
Will  you  withhold  proper  homage  ?  The  penitent  and 
believing  man  then  "  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My 
Lord,"  and  not  only  that,  but  "  my  God."  Here  is  a 
calm,  reverential,  direct  profession  of  faith.  Christ 
claimed  religious  worship,  and  confirmed  that  claim 
by  sanctioning  the  act  itself. 

Apostolic  and  primitive  practice  is  confirmatory. 
Opening  to  the  twenty-fourth  chapter  of  Luke's  Gos- 
pel, we  see  the  Saviour  leading  his  disciples  out  to 
Bethany.  We  behold  him  parted  from  them  and 
carried  up  into  heaven  :  and  "  they  worshipped  him.'*' 
We  pass  on  to  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts.  In  pro- 
ceeding to  fill  the  place  of  Judas,  the  eleven  "  prayed 
and  said,  Thou,  Lord,  which  knowest  the  hearts  of  all 
men,  show  whether  of  these  two  thou  hast  chosen." 


GOD    THE    SON.  4o 

The  connection  shows  that  it  was  the  Lord  Jesus  whom 
they  addressed.  Paul  and  Barnabas,  having  ordained 
elders  in  every  church,  "  commended  them  to  the 
Lord  on  whom  they  believed.''  Contemplate  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  Stephen.  This  dying  witness  for  the  truth 
ejaculates,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit."  Hero  is 
a  man,  "  full  of  grace  and  the  Iloly  Ghost,^'  who  sees 
"  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  man  standing  on 
the  right  hand  of  God  ;  "  who  in  his  last  moments  asks 
forgiveness  for  his  murderers,  asks  it  of  Christ ;  and 
who,  in  surrendering  his  spirit,  surrenders  it  in  prayer 
to  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Paul  was  in  the  habit  of  praying  to  Christ.  In  refer- 
ence to  one  grievous  trial,  the  messenger  of  Satan 
that  buffeted  him,  he  mentions  particularly  that  he 
"  besought  the  Lord  thrice  that  it  might  depart  from 
him."  In  his  second  communication  to  the  Thessa- 
lonian  Christians  he  prays  again,  "  Now  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  and  God  even  our  Father,  comfort 
your  hearts,  and  establish  you  in  every  good  word  and 
work."  Examining  his  devout  salutations,  and  those 
of  other  apostles,  we  find  them  to  be  uniformly  on 
this  wise :  ''  Grace  to  you,  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  We  listen  to  the 
apostolic  benedictions,  and  find  the  same  uniformity : 
"  Grace  be  with  you,  mercy,  and  peace,  from  God  the 
Father,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  Father,  in  truth  and  love." 

We  hearken  to  inspired  doxologies,  those  compre- 
hensive summaries  of  deliberate,  supreme  homage, 
and  their  testimony  is,  "  Grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;   To 


44:  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

him  be  glory  both  now  and  forever.  Amen."  Indeed, 
so  habituated  were  the  apostles  and  other  first  Chris- 
tians to  pray  to  Jesus,  that  they  came  to  be  desig- 
nated, "  Those  who  call  on  his  name."  Yes,  before  and 
after  they  Avere  called  Christians  at  Antioch,  they  were 
spoken  of  under  the  descriptive  title,  a  kind  of  appel- 
lative, "  They  who  call  on  his  name."  Eusebius,  the 
early  ecclesiastical  historian,  testifies,  '^  Moreover,  all 
the  psalms  and  hymns  of  the  brethren,  written  from 
the  beginning  by  the  faithful,  celebrate  the  praises  of 
Christ,  the  Word  of  God,  and  attribute  divinity  to 
him."  Little  as  the  heathen  knew  of  Christians,  they 
had  observed  that  this  practice  was  characteristic  of 
them ;  for  Pliny  says,  "  They  sing  a  hymn  together 
to  Christ  as  God." 

Summarily,  then,  Christ  claimed  equal  honor  with 
the  Father ;  when  that  was  paid  to  him,  he  showed  no 
displeasure ;  the  inspired  expositors  of  his  doctrine 
and  example  prayed  to  him ;  and  so  common  was  the 
same  practice  among  their  immediate  disciples  as  to 
give  rise  to  the  characteristic  designation,  ''  Those 
that  call  on  his  name."  It  follows  either  that  Jesus 
is  not  the  faithful  and  true  witness,  and  the  New  Tes- 
tament not  a  safe  and  sufficient  rule  of  practice,  or 
else  that  Christ  is  entitled  to  the  highest  form  of  wor- 
ship. The  unavoidable  alternative  to  which  we  are 
brought  is,  either  that  Jesus  Christ  was  an  impostor, 
arrogating  the  honor  due  to  another  being,  encour- 
aging his  disciples  to  bestow  and  to  insist  upon  the 
same,  or  else  he  honestly  and  deservedly  claimed  su- 
preme homage. 

Now,  would  he  not  shrink  with  horror  from  assum- 


GOD    THE    SON.  45 

ing  or  accepting  honors  that  exceed  his  real  dignity  ? 
Such  a  quick  perception  of  all  proprieties,  and  such  an 
unbending  rectitude  as  his,  would  have  made  him 
promptly  repel  every  approach  to  idolatry.  Corne- 
lius fell  dov/n  at  the  feet  of  Peter  and  worshipped 
him ;  but  Peter  took  him  up,  saying,  "  Stand  up ;  I 
myself  also  am  a  man."'  When,  in  vision,  John  fell 
down  to  worship  before  the  angel,  whom  doubtless  he 
had  mistaken  for  the  Son  of  God,  the  messenger  said 
to  him,  ''  See  thou  do  it  not ;  for  I  am  thy  fellow-ser- 
vant, and  of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them 
which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book  ;  worship  God  !  " 
Was  the  holy  Jesus  less  jealous  for  the  honor  of  the 
divine  name  than  inconstant  Peter,  or  than  one  of  the 
angels  who  had  been  bidden  to  worship  him?  Nay, 
let  Christ  be  true,  and  every  man,  every  angel,  a 
liar..  We  are  compelled  to  deny  common  integrity  to 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  or  else  yield  him  rehgious  homage. 
Something  more  than  the  obeisance  of  social  regard, 
the  highest  of  mere  civil  deference,  is  challenged. 
Courtesies  and  patronage  from  mortals  the  Lord  Jesus 
does  not  ask.  Bolingbroke,  Gibbon,  Pousscau,  and  many 
another  infidel,  have  spoken  well  of  him.  One  Roman 
emperor  proposed  to  deify  him,  to  have  him  enrolled 
among  the  gods  of  the  Pantheon.  Another  heathen 
emperor  actually  erected  a  temple  to  his  honor. 
Compliments  of  this  kind  are  common  in  Christendom, 
but  are  architectural  affronts  to  the  Eternal  Son.  All 
men  are  bound  to  honor  him  '^  even  as  they  honor  the 
Father ; ''  "  lie  that  honoreth  not  the  Son,  honoreth 
not  the  Father;"  Impiety  or  idolatry  is  the  alterna- 
tive.    If  he  be  not  truly  God,  anything  like  worship 


46  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

of  him  is  an  abomination  to  the  Father ;  if  truly  God, 
then  to  withhold  worship  is  equally  an  abomination. 
This  is  a  question  of  Christianity  or  infidelity ;  Chris- 
tianity or  Mohammedanism ;  Christianity  or  paganism. 
^^  Never  will  I  consent  to  that,"  replied  Chosroes,  king 
of  Persia,  to  the  Christian  emperor  who  proposed 
peace,  —  ^^  never  will  I  consent  to  that  till  you  renounce 
him  who  was  crucified,  whom  you  call  God,  and  till 
with  me  you  adore  the  sun.''  There  can  be  no  com- 
promise, no  middle  ground.  Christ's  enemies  do  not 
wish  it ;  the  Father  will  not  have  it.  ^^  God  hath 
highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is 
above  every  name ;  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in 
earth,  and  things  under  the  earth,  and  that  every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the 
glory  of  God  the  Father." 


II.    THE   HOLY   SPIRIT. 

"  What  is  God  ?  "  said  King  Hiero  to  Simonides- 
The  philosopher,  surprised  at  so  unexpected  a  ques- 
tion, desired  one  day  to  consider  it ;  that  being  past, 
he  desired  two  more,  then  three,  until,  in  the  end,  he 
frankly  confessed  that  the  more  he  considered  the 
question,  the  less  able  was  he  to  answer.  Rare  instance 
of  candor !  The  confession  of  all  honestly  reflective 
minds  must  be,  that  there  is  need  of  teaching  from  on 
high,  that  God  only  can  comprehend  his  own  nature, 
and  that  he  only  may  prescribe  the  mode  of  religious 
worship,  as  well  as  determine  who  is  its  proper  object. 


THEHOLYSPIEIT.  47 

Is  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  addressed  in  prayer  ?  A 
question  eminently  practical.  When  it  is  considered 
that  since  creation  there  have  been  only  two  great 
divine  manifestations, — the  gift  of  the  Son  and  the  gift 
of  the  Spirit ;  that  the  coming  of  the  Spirit,  for  apply- 
ing redemption,  is  no  less  indispensable  than  the  advent 
of  Christ  himself;  that  every  renewed  soul  now  on 
earth,  or  gone  to  paradise,  is  a  monument  of  his  re-cre- 
ating energy ;  that  all  spiritual  life  here  is  only  a  proof 
of  his  efficient  presence, — it  will  be  acknowledged  that 
this  is  a  truly  vital  theme.  As  the  Father,  God  is  over 
■Qs ;  as  the  Son,  God  is  with  us ;  as  the  Holy  Spirit, 
God  is  within  us.  Only  by  the  Spirit  and  through  the 
Son  do  we  come  to  the  Father.  Earlier  revelation  was, 
for  the  most  part,  of  God  absolutely,  with  intimations 
of  a  plurality  of  persons ;  then  more  and  more  clearly 
the  prophetic,  and  at  length  personal,  revelation  of 
Immanuel ;  while  upon  his  return  to  glory  commenced 
the  present  dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  Under  this 
economy,  to  slight  the  Holy  Spirit  is  an  offence  similar 
in  aggravation  to  the  rejecting  of  Christ  by  the  Jews. 
Crimson  as  was  that  sin,  it  was  not  unpardonable.  He 
who  came  to  bear  Avitness  of  the  truth,  though  claim- 
ing that  all  men  should  honor  him  even  as  they  honor 
the  Father,  yet  taught  that  the  most  heinous  sin,  the 
sin  wdiich  infinite  mercy  cannot  forgive,  is  one  against 
not  the  Father  nor  himself,  but  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Why  is  there  no  more  heard  now  from  the  pulpit 
and  in  social  exhortation  regarding  the  dignity  and 
claims,  as  well  as  offices,  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  Why  is 
there  no  more  of  study  to  know  what  the  Scriptures 
teach   respecting  him  ?    Why  no  more  of  prayer  to 


48  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

him  ?  As  we  treat  him,  so  may  we  expect  to  be  treated 
by  him. 

We  cannot  better  begin  an  inquiry  into  what  the 
adorable  Spirit  has  taught  respecting  himself  in  Holy 
Writ  than  by  supplication  to  him,  the  author  of  illu- 
mination. We  may  well  adopt  the  words  of  one  in  the 
third  century,  Cyprian,  who,  in  composing  his  discourse 
on  the  Holy  Spirit,  commenced  Avith  a  solemn  address, 
of  which  this  is  a  part :  ^'  0  Holy  Spirit,  be  thou  pres- 
ent, and  from  heaven  shed  down  thy  consolations  on 
those  that  expect  thee ;  sanctify  the  temple  of  our 
body,  and  consecrate  it  a  habitation  for  thyself.  Make 
those  souls  joyful  with  thy  presence  who  desire  thee. 
Make  the  house  fit  for  thee,  the  inhabitant ;  adorn  thy 
chamber  and  surround  the  place  of  thy  rest  with  a 
variety  of  virtues  ;  strew  the  pavement  with  orna- 
ments ;  let  thy  mansion  shine  with  the  brightness  of 
carbuncles  and  precious  stones ;  and  let  the  odors  of 
all  thy  gifts  inwardly  discover  themselves  ;  let  thy  fra- 
grant balsam  perfume  thy  residence,  and  expel  what- 
ever is  noisome  and  the  spring  of  corruption  ;  do 
thou  make  this  our  joy  stable  and  lasting ;  and  this 
renovation  of  thy  creature  do  thou  continue  forever 
in  unfading  beauty." 

It  holds  to  reason,  and  accords  with  all  right  and 
reverent  feelings,  that,  in  contemplating  this  branch  of 
the  sublime  truth  of  triune  Godhead,  we  should  care- 
fully consult  the  lively  oracles. 

A  moment  may  well  be  spent  upon  the  Scripture 
names  and  titles  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  called  the 
Comforter,  the  Spirit,  the  Holy  Spirit  or  Holy  Ghost, 
the  Spirit  of  God,  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  49 

the  Lord,  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God,  the  Spirit 
of  promise,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  the  Spirit  of  wisdom 
and  of  revelation.  It  is  not  spirit  in  general  to  which 
reference  is  now  made,  nor  a  spirit,  but  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  personally  revealed ;  not  divine  gifts,  graces, 
or  operations,  but  the  Holy  Spirit,  sharing  the  divine 
essence,  one  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  in  coequal 
and  coeternal  existence  and  attributes. 

The  simple  term  sinrit  is  indeed  used  to  denote  air 
or  wind;  hence,  too,  any  unseen  powerful  influence, 
including  divine  energy.  So,  too,  the  phrase  spirit  of 
God,  and  equivalent  phrases,  are  employed  by  sacred 
writers  to  designate  divine  efficacy,  without  reference 
to  personal  and  official  distinctions  in  the  Godhead. 
But  however  numerous  these  passages,  their  use  does 
not  conflict  with  the  fact  that  there  are  other  passages 
in  which  the  same  or  similar  terms  denote  a  personal 
agent. 

The  main  point  to  be  established  is  the  personality 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  That  done,  other  branches  of  Bible 
teaching  on  this  subject  assume  their  right  form  and 
place  in  the  believer's  apprehension.  Against  this  the 
chief  assaults  of  error  have  been  made,  from  the  time 
that  Sabellius,  in  the  third  century,  taught  that  there 
is  but  one  person  in  the  Godhead,  down  to  the  present 
day. 

In  citing  texts  of  Scripture,  it  is  well  to  select,  for 
the  most  part,  not  from  poetic  and  more  impassioned 
portions  of  the  Bible,  but  from  the  didactic  and  narra- 
tive ;  in  other  words,  the  plainest  and  least  figurative. 
The  proofs  here  following  are  not  frorn  one  writer 
merely,  but  from  many,  and  in  almost  no  instance  from 


50  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

a  passage  where  the  rhetorical  figure  of  personification 
might  naturally  be  expected. 

In  the  first  place,  personal  properties  are  attributed 
to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thus  knowledge  :  ''For  the  Spirit 
searcheth  all  things/'  —  searcheth,  has  a  clear  under- 
standing of.  That  something  besides  mere  conscious- 
ness, or  self-knowledge,  simply  considered,  is  here 
meant,  appears  from  the  previous  part  of  the  same 
verse  (1  Cor.  ii.  10),  which  brings  a  personal  distinc- 
tion clearly  to  view :  "  But  God  hath  revealed  them 
unto  us  by  his  Spirit." 

Exercises  of  will  are  ascribed  to  him  :  "A^l  these 
worketh  tliat  one  and  the  self-same  Spirit,  dividing  to 
every  man  severally  as  he  wilL"  (1  Cor.  xii.  8-11.) 
Would  it  be  consonant  to  Scripture  usage  to  speak  of 
the  divine  efiiciency  being  engaged  in  such  a  distribu- 
tion "  as  he  will "  ?  Does  an  impersonal  energy  or 
attribute  exercise  sovereign  choice  ? 

The  possession  of  power  is  ascribed  to  him  : 
"  Through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Rom.  xv. 
13.)  If  personality  be  not  here  implied,  we  have  only 
this  senseless  declaration:  Through  the  power  of  a 
power ;  as  would  also  be  the  case  in  the  nineteenth 
verse.  In  Acts  (ii.  4),  a  miracle  is  ascribed  to  him : 
'^  And  they  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues  as  the 
Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  represented  as  one  against  whom 
specifically  sin  may  be  committed.  ^'  Blasphemy 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven."  (Matt, 
xii.  31.)  "  To  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost."  "  To  tempt 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  (Acts  v.  3,9.)  "Grieve  not 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God."  (Eph.  iv.  30.)  Offences  of 
this  kind  are  not  committed  against  a  mere  operation. 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT,  51 

The  personal  properties  thus  enumerated,  intellect, 
volition,  and  the  like,  being  attributed  to  the  Spirit, 
we  may  reasonably  look  for  the  mention  of  personal 
acts.  Such  there  are  in  abundance.  Often  and  in 
varied  language  is  the  Holy  Ghost  said  to  speak: 
"  The  Spirit  said  unto  Philip."  (Acts  viii.  29  ;  Mark 
xiii.  11;  Acts  i.  16;  xx,  23;  xxi.  11;  xxviii.  25; 
1  Tim.  iv.  1 ;  Heb.  iii.  7  ;  Rev.  ii.  3.) 

The  Holy  Spirit  uses  authoritative  language,  issuing 
the  order,  "  Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul "  (Acts 
xiii.  2) ;  as  also  a  prohibition  (Acts  xvi.  6,  7).  He 
reveals  and  inspires  :  "  It  was  revealed  unto  him  by 
the  Holy  Ghost."  (Luke  ii.  26;  1  Peter  i.  21.)  He 
renews  the  heart.  (John  iii.  6  ;  Titus  iii.  5.)  Sancti- 
fication  is  ascribed  to  him.  (2  Thess.  ii.  13  ;  1  Peter  i. 
2;  Eph.  ii.  22.) 

Christian  graces  and  gifts  are  imparted  by  him  (Gal. 
V.  22,  23 ;  2  Tim.  i.  14).  In  the  latter  of  these  is  a 
very  manifest  distinction  between  the  gift  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  Spirit  himself. 

Teaching  is  one  of  his  works  (Luke  xii.  12 ;  1  Cor. 
ii.  13) ;  witnessing  another  (Rom.  viii.  16).  He  in- 
vigorates (Eph.  iii.  16) ;  he  guides  (Rom.  viii.  14) ; 
he  exercises  authority,  sending  forth  and  constituting 
overseers  (Acts  xiii.  4;  xx.  28). 

Besides  passages  already  quoted,  there  are  those 
which  exhibit  the  Holy  Spirit's  personality  in  connec- 
tion Avith  that  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  presenting 
this  prime  characteristic  in  the  same  sense,  and  with 
as  full  reality  as  on  the  part  of  the  first  and  second 
persons  in  the  Godhead. 

Such  is  the  one  describing  our  Saviour's  baptism 


52  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

(Matt.  ill.  16,  17).  The  Father  speaks  from  heaven, 
the  Son  is  addressed,  while  the  Spirit  descends  hke  a 
dove.  Could  the  three  personalities  be  brought  to 
view  with  more  distinctness?  How  preposterous  to 
attempt  an  explanation  by  affirming  that  a  divine 
quality  descended  from  heaven  in  the  likeness  of  a 
dove  !  With  the  ancients  we  would  say,  ''^  Go,  Arian, 
to  the  Jordan,  and  thou  shalt  see  the  Trinity." 

The  baptismal  formulary  is  in  point  (Matt,  xxviii. 
19).  That  the  Father  is  a  real  person,  no  one  denies ; 
that  the  Son  also  is  such  cannot  well  be  doubted  ;  by 
all  proprieties  of  language,  then,  must  the  Holy  Ghost 
be  regarded  as  a  person.  Can  we  suppose  that  our 
Lord,  in  giving  a  form  to  be  used  whenever  a  certain 
religious  ordinance  is  administered,  would  direct  that 
water  be  applied  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son  and  of  the  divine  power?  What  an  incon- 
gruity !  Nowhere  is  this  phrase,  "  in  the  name," 
placed  in  such  connection  with  a  mere  virtue,  a  system, 
or  anything  else  than  a  person,  even  where  only  one 
is  referred  to.  How  much  less  can  we  suppose  it  to 
be  done  here,  standing  as  the  words  do  in  a  solemn,  for- 
mal categor}^  with  two  others  who  are  admitted  to  be 
truly  persons.  In  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  —  with  parity  of  rank  and 
equal  distinctness  of  personality  are  the  adorable 
three  thus  presented  to  us. 

The  apostolic  benediction  must  not  be  passed  over 
(2  Cor.  xiii.  14).  So  too  Ephesians  ii.  18:  ^^  For 
through  him  [Christ]  we  both  have  access  by  one 
Spirit  unto  the  Father."  Tri-personality  here  stands 
out  plainly.     The   Spirit  by  whom  is   not  the   Son 


THE     HOLY    SPIRIT.  53 

through  whom,  nor  the  Father  to  whom,  access  is  en- 
joyed ;  but  evidently  one  coordinate  and  cooperative 
in  the  work  of  reconcihation  and  in  acts  of  worship. 

Our  Saviour's  words  in  the  fourteenth  and  sixteenth 
chapters  of  John,  with  respect  to  the  Comforter,  pre- 
sent a  tripartite  function  and  corresponding  personal- 
ities. Is  not  the  work  w^hich  the  Great  Teacher  attrib- 
utes to  the  Spirit  one  to  be  performed  only  by  an  intel- 
ligent, divine  agent?  In  that  same  memorable  dis- 
course the  Holy  Spirit  is  twelve  times  designated  by 
such  personal  pronouns  as  he,  him,  and  whom ;  just  as 
in  the  same  connection  and  elsewhere  the  Father  and 
the  Son  are  designated. 

Can  anything  be  plainer  than  that  the  sacred  writers 
supposed  all  these  would  be  understood  as  the  acts  of 
a  personal  agent  ?  If,  instead  of  thus  furnishing  inci- 
dental evidence,  it  had  been  their  chief  design,  avoid- 
ing figurative  language,  to  establish  the  personality  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  how  could  they  have  done  it  more 
effectually  ?  In  brief,  the  evidence  is  this  :  such  per- 
sonal properties  as  knowledge,  will,  and  love,  are 
attributed  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  is  spoken  of  as 
one  against  wdiom,  specifically,  sin  may  be  committed. 
He  is  spoken  of  as  performing  the  acts  of  command- 
ing, revealing,  regenerating,  taking,  teaching,  show- 
ing, witnessing,  strengthening,  and  the  like.  With 
no  intimation  of  disparity,  he  is  associated  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son  in  the  most  solemn  ordinances  of 
religion.  If,  therefore,  the  truth  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
personality,  distinct,  real,  and  literal  as  that  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  be  not  established,  we  know  not 
what  Scripture  language  would  establish  it. 

6* 


54  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Before  passing  to  a  further  general  division  of  the 
subject  in  hand,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  drojD  a  sugges- 
tion touching  the  use  of  an  impersonal  substitute  for  a 
proper  name  of  the  adorable  Spirit.  It  is  peculiarly 
trying  to  hear  the  pronoun  it  or  that  employed  with 
reference  to  this  divine  Being.  Respect  should  also 
be  indicated  in  the  written  use  of  his  names  and  titles. 
Henry  Ware  remarks,  "We  see  the  words  [holy 
ghost  or  holy  spirit]  printed  in  our  Bibles  and  in 
other  books  in  capitals,  or  with  capital  initials ;  and  it 
gives  us  an  impression  of  a  person  or  agent  of  high 
dignity.''  Well  it  may.  Is  not  God  the  Spirit  entitled 
to  an  impression  on  our  minds  that  he  is  a  person  or 
agent  of  high  dignity?  Let  our  Bibles  at  least  — 
would  that  other  books  might  also  —  be  spared  such 
typographical  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace. 

The  Holy  Spirit's  personality  being  proved,  the 
truth  of  his  Deity  follows  at  once,  indeed  is  scarcely 
a  different  topic.  So  vital  however  is  this  as  a  branch 
of  the  doctrine  of  triune  existence,  and  so  immediately 
practical,  that  we  may  well  look  separately  at  the  evi- 
dence. In  reference  to  this  whole  subject  of  tri-per- 
sonality,  Dr.  Priestley  remarks  with  frankness,  "  The 
truth  is,  there  neither  can  nor  ought  to  be  any  compro- 
mise between  us.  If  you  are  right,  we  are  not  Chris- 
tians at  all ;  and  if  we  are  right,  you  are  gross  idol- 
aters." The  interests  at  issue  are  sufficiently  moment- 
ous to  require  certainly  a  measure  of  patience  in  this 
examination. 

Is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  third  person  in  the  Trinity, 
God,  as  truly  and  in  the  same  sense  as  is  the  Father 
and  the  Son  ? 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  55 

"We  find  the  name  God  given  to  him.  Peter  said, 
"Ananias,  why  hath  Satan  filled  thy  heart  to  lie  unto 
the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Thou  hast  not  lied  unto  men,  but 
unto  God.'^  The  sin  referred  to  is  pronounced  to  have 
been  specifically  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  against 
God ;  the  two  names.  Holy  Ghost  and  God,  being  used 
interchangeably;  in  other  words,  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
called  God.  The  offence  was  not  so  much  against 
man ;  it  w^as  not  against  an  angel ;  for  the  Spirit  is 
neither  man  nor  angel.  Ananias  had  lied  directly  to 
God,  because  he  had  lied  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  If  the 
latter  were  not  God,  Peter  would  rather  have  said, 
'•  Thou  hast  not  lied  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  to  God  j  " 
whereas  he  affirmed  just  the  opposite  ;  and  this,  in  the 
circumstances,  is  a  stronger  proof  than  if  the  apostle 
had,  in  so  many  words,  declared  the  Holy  Ghost  to  be 
God. 

Similar  is  the  interchangeable  use  in  1  Cor.  iii.  16 
and  vi.  19  :  ''  Ye  are  the  temple  of  God;  "  "  The  Spirit 
of  God  dwelleth  in  you  ; "  "  Your  body  is  the  temple 
of  the  Holy  Ghost."  A  temple  is  a  habitation  of 
Deity ;  and  believers  are  denominated  the  temple  of 
God,  or  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  because  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  indwelling.  If  he  were  a  being  other 
than  or  inferior  to  God,  would  such  representation  be 
made  ?  We  are  then  authorized  to  call  the  Holy 
Ghost  God;  not  as  another  name  for  the  Supreme 
Being,  nor  as  merging  his  personality,  but  because  to 
dwell  in  all  true  believers  is  an  office  peculiar  to  this 
one  of  the  three  persons. 

Divine  attributes  are  ascribed  to  him.  The  ascrib- 
ing of  one  such  would  be  sufficient,  as  would  also  be 


56  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

one  proof-text.  The  truth  and  importance  of  no  re- 
vealed doctrine  is  to  be  determined  by  the  quantity 
of  corroborating  passages. 

Omniscience  is  predicated  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  "For 
the  Spirit  searchcth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of 
God."  None  but  an  infinite  intellect  can  do  that ;  nor 
does  any  other  possess  prescience  :  "  He  shall  show 
you  things  to  come.''  And  is  not  omnipresence  indi- 
rectly affirmed  when  it  is  declared  that  he  dwells  in 
all  believers  ?  Eternity  is  directly  predicated  of  him : 
"The  eternal  Spirit."    (Heb.  ix.  14.) 

Being,  then,  possessed  of  certain  divine  perfections, 
any  one  of  which  implies  all  the  rest,  and  being  by 
divine  authority  called  God,  it  might  be  presumed 
there  would  exist  the  further  proof  of  divine  works 
performed  by  him.  Do  we  not  read  of  "  signs  and 
wonders  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost "  ?  Did  not 
prophets  speak  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost?  Is  not  regeneration  a  divine  work?  Did  not 
all  miraculous  gifts  come  from  him?  Was  it  not  by 
his  power  that  Mary  conceived  the  holy  child  Jesus ; 
and  was  not  Christ's  resurrection  also  by  him?  (1  Pet. 
iii.  18 ;  Rom.  viii.  11.) 

The  Holy  Ghost  —  to  recur  once  more  to  a  familiar 
fact  —  is  a  being  against  whom  sin  can  be  committed, 
and,  as  alread}^  suggested,  the  sin  most  eminent^ 
heinous.  Reference  is  not  now  made  so  much  to 
grieving  the  Spirit,  and  doing  ordinary  despite  to  him, 
as  to  the  unpardonable  sin.  Precisely  Avhat  consti- 
tutes such  blasphemy  admits  of  a  question.  Our  Lord 
perhaps  left  an  intentional  uncertainty  as  to  the  form 
of  this  irremissible  offence ;    present  purposes  do  not 


THE     HOLY     SPIRIT.  67 

require  a  discussion  of  it.  The  chief  point  is,  that 
if  the  Holy  Ghost  were  not  God,  the  sin  would  not  be 
unpardonable ;  and,  further,  that  it  is  not  blasphemy 
against  him  simply  as  God,  but  because  something 
pertains  to  him,  his  relations,  or  works,  so  peculiarly 
sacred,  that  it  is  against  him  specially,  against  him 
alone,  that  the  blasphemy  never  to  be  pardoned  can  be 
committed. 

The  manner  in  which  Scripture  associates  the  Holy 
Spirit  with  the  other  divine  persons  proves  his  Deity. 
The  often-cited  formula  of  baptism  is  quite  sufficient. 
Can  it  be  supposed  that  our  Lord,  when  establishing  a 
religious  ordinance  to  be  observed  so  frequently,  so 
widely,  and  permanently,  would  use  an  ambiguous 
expression,  liable  to  be  mistaken,  and  which  by  the 
great  bulk  of  Christians  ever  since  has  been  mistaken, 
if  he  did  not  design  to  have  them  believe  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  stands  on  a  parity  of  rank  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son  ?  In  this  solemn  rite  there  was  under- 
stood to  be  a  renunciation  of  every  idol,  and  a  dedica- 
tion to  the  one  true  God.  Christ  had  taught  that  all 
men  should  honor  the  Son  even  as  they  honor  the 
Father;  and  now,  in  the  initiatory  ordinance,  he  directs 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  be  associated  with  them 
both  ;  saying  not  a  word  at  that  or  any  time  sug- 
gestive of  disparity.  The  competency  or  uprightness 
of  Jesus  Christ  must  be  surrendered  if  he  did  not 
intend  to  have  the  impression  made  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  truly  a  person,  and  a  divine  person.  Substan- 
tially the  same  is  taught  by  1  Peter  i.  2  :  "  Elect 
according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father, 


58  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus." 

What,  then,  can  be  more  plainly  just  than  the  infer- 
ence that  divine  worship  is  due,  and  that  petitions  are 
to  be  addressed,  to  the  Holy  Ghost?  But  the  pro- 
priety of  this  is  not  left  to  induction  merely.  The 
apostolic  benediction,  "  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  be  with  you  all,"  supplies  highest  author- 
ity. Its  designed  use  is  in  some  measure  a  counter- 
part to  the  initial  words  of  Christianit}^.  Noteworthy 
it  is  that  what  was  intended  for  a  concluding  formula 
of  worship  should  be  a  prayer  to  the  Trinity ;  the  last 
petition  in  which  is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  com- 
municate his  gracious  presence  to  believers.  No 
other  passage,  perhaps,  in  the  whole  Bible  has  been 
more  uniformly  repeated  throughout  Christendom  than 
this  ;  and  nothing  more  than  this  passage  would  be 
required  to  authorize  adoration  and  supplication  to  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

If  it  be  asked,  How  do  the  three  divine  persons 
constitute  the  one  true  God, — ^how  trinity  in  one  sense 
and  unity  in  another  consist  ?  we  undertake  no  answer, 
because  inspiration  has  not  disclosed  that  inscrutable 
mystery.  No  one  may  be  required  or  ma}^  attempt  to 
explain  what  is  inexplicable.  That  there  is  but  one 
God,  is  plain ;  that  he  exists  as  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  neither  of  whom  is  absolutely  and 
in  all  respects  identical  with  either  of  the  others,  is 
plain  ;  as  also  that  there  is  no  fourth  person.  Well 
does  Gregory  Nazianzen  say,  "  I  cannot  think  of  the 
one  but  I  am  immediately  surrounded  by  the  splendor 


THE     HOLY     SPIRIT.  59 

of  the  three  ;  nor  can  I  clearly  discover  the  three  but  I 
am  suddenly  carried  back  to  the  one."  Quite  natural 
and  just  was  it  that  early  Christians,  as  appears  frora 
the  most  ancient  doxologies,  should  habitually  pay 
divine  honors  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Excellently  does 
Augustine  declare,  '^  If  we  were  commanded  to  erect 
to  the  Holy  Spirit  a  temple  of  wood  and  stone,  foras- 
much as  God  is  the  sole  object  of  worship,  it  would 
be  a -clear  proof  of  his  divinity;  how  much  clearer, 
then,  is  the  proof  now  that  we  are  commanded  not  to 
erect  one,  but  to  be  ourselves  his  temples."  With 
utmost  propriety  did  the  martyr  Polycarp  close  bis 
prayer  at  the  stake  in  these  words :  "  I  praise  thee  for 
all  things ;  I  bless  thee ;  I  glorify  thee  with  the  eternal 
and  heavenly  Jesus  Clirist,  thy  beloved  Son ;  with 
whom  to  thee  and  the  Holy  Spirit  be  glory  forever  and 
ever.  Amen."  Most  heartily  would  we  join  in  the  Te 
Deum  which  rolls  along  in  sublime  anthem  through 
the  ages :  "  The  holy  church  throughout  all  the  world 
doth  acknowledge  thee  the  Father  of  infinite  majesty ; 
thine  adorable,  true,  and  only  Son  ;  also  the  Holy 
Ghost  the  Comforter;"  in  the  familiar  Litan}^,  "  0  God, 
the  Holy  Ghost,  proceeding  from  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  have  mercy  upon  us,  miserable  sinners ;  "  and  in 
the  ascription,  "  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the 
Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  was  in  the  beginning, 
is  now,  and  ever  shall  be.     Amen." 

If  the  Holy  Spirit  be  truly  God,  then  not  to  worship 
him  is  a  culpable  omission ;  one  which  must  hinder,  if 
not  prevent,  gracious  communications  to  us  from  him. 
In  the  great  economy  of  redemption  and  of  provi- 
dence, he  has  certain  offices  which  should  be  distinctly 


CO  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

acknowledged  and  highly  prized.  No  reasonable  hope 
can  there  be  of  experiencing  his  inward  operations,  so 
indispensable,  if  his  personality  and  Deity  are  dis- 
carded ;  while  duly  to  honor  him  is  to  invite  liis  reviv- 
ing, illuminating  agency. 


IV 


PHIMARY   COXDITIOXS   OF  PRAYER 


I.     L\   THE   N-\.ME    OF    CHRIST. 

0  great  is  the  majesty  of  God  that  we  fal- 
ter at  the  thought  of  approaching  him. 
If  merely  dependent  and  needy,  we 
might  well  hesitate ;  but  guilt  oppresses 
us ;  the  sentence  of  outlawry  has  been 
pronounced  upon  us.  How  then  shall 
we  draw  near  to  the  throne  of  our 
offended  Sovereign?  Who  will  guaran- 
:ee  a  favorable  reception?  What  mortal 
may  venture  to  the  audience-chamber  of  the  King  of 
kings,  save  with  the  intervention  of  some  one  who  can 
assure  him  of  acceptance?  The  banished  Themis- 
tocles  hastened  to  the  court  of  Admetus,  where  he 
had  no  reason  to  expect  favor.  Entering  the  palace, 
he  caught  up  a  son  of  the  king,  and  thus  presented 
himself.  Seeing  such  a  propitiation  in  the  arms  of  the 
fugitive,  Admetus  could  not  deny  his  request.  Only 
in  a  similar  way  can  we  draw  nigh  to  God. 

Sacred  Scripture  reveals  a  wonderful  economy  of 
grace,  the  mediatorial  work  of  our  Lord,  by  which 
divine  justice  is  appeased,  and  through  which  the 
great  legal  barrier  to  reconciliation  has  been  removed. 
One  of  the  main  purposes  of  Holy  Writ  is  to  assure 

6  61 


62  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

US  that  restoration  to  the  favor  of  God  depends  on 
such  mediation.  If,  then,  there  were  no  express  tes- 
timony, we  should  be  led  to  infer  that  prayer,  the 
most  sacred  act  and  privilege  of  the  household  of 
faith,  could  be  acceptably  offered  only  in  the  name  of 
Jesus. 

Formal  declarations,  however,  have  settled  the 
question.  Near  the  opening  of  our  Saviour's  vale- 
dictory discourse  with  his  disciples,  there  is  laid  down 
one  of  the  chief  canons  of  prayer :  ^^  Whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Fa- 
ther may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask 
anything  in  my  name,  I  will  do  it."  Later,  when 
about  to  bring  those  weighty  words  to  a  close,  he  reit- 
erates the  saying.  There  was  need  that  special  atten- 
tion be  called  to  the  point,  for  it  was  a  vital  one,  and 
was  in  some  measure  new.  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name, 
he  will  give  it  you."  In  all  former  times  the  idea  of 
mediation  has  indeed  prevailed ;  atoning  sacrifices  and 
an  interceding  priest,  prefiguring  my  great  work  on 
earth  and  in  heaven,  have  long  had  a  place ;  they  now 
have  an  end.  The  great  oflering  is  to  be  made  ;  I  am 
on  the  eve  of  passing  to  the  right  hand  of  Majesty  in 
the  heavens.  I  will  now  offer  prayer,  anticipating  and 
illustrating  my  intercession  on  high.  "  Hitherto  ye 
have  asked  nothing  in  my  name."  Not  till  now  had 
the  hour  come  for  me  to  be  glorified,  and  for  believers 
to  pray  undorstandingly  in  my  name ;  and  thus  the 
greatest  advance  revealed  in  the  privilege  and  power 
of  supplication  is  among  these  parting  gifts  which  I 
make  to  you. 


IN     THE     NAME     OF     CHRIST.  63 

It  may  appear  to  some  a  rhetorical  blemish  to  em- 
ploy the  often-repeated  expression,  "  For  Christ's 
sake  ;  "  it  may  seem  to  indicate  a  poverty  of  language, 
a  want  of  originality.  Let  such  remember  that  on 
these  words  hinge  the  whole  power  of  praj^er.  He 
who  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  who  shutteth  and 
no  man  openeth,  has  declared,  "  No  man  cometh  unto 
the  Father  but  by  me.'' 

This  is  not  merely  one  acceptable  method  of  offering 
prayer,  but  the  only  method.  "  For  there  is  one  God, 
and  one  mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man 
Christ  Jesus."  No  wonder  that  so  many  are  unsuccess- 
ful in  their  attempts  to  obtain  audience  at  the  throne. 
Though  the  ear  of  the  God  of  Sabaoth  is  not  heavy 
that  it  cannot  hear  the.  prayers  of  all  his  creatures, 
there  is  but  One  for  whose  sake  he  will  hear  any  of 
them.  The  offerings  of  gratitude  and  penitence  are 
indeed  acceptable,  but  the  appointed  priest  must  pre- 
sent them.  A  prayer  without  allusion  to  Christ  is  not 
a  Christian  prayer.  Pagans  pray  thus,  nominal  Chris- 
tians pray  thus,  but  no  response  is  given. 

You  may  perhaps  by  stealth  find  your  way  to  the 
interior  of  an  earthly  palace,  and  compel  the  monarch 
to  listen;  but  here  a  flaming  sword  guards  every 
avenue  save  one.  "  Jesus  saith,  I  am  the  door."  His 
intercession  is  for  those  alone  who  come  unto  God  by 
him.  To  reject  him  is  heaven-daring  contumacy. 
'^He,"  says  Ambrose,  "is  our  mouth  with  which  we 
address  the  Father;  our  eye  by  which  we  behold  our 
Father ;  our  right  hand  by  which  we  present  ourselves 
to  the  Father;  without  whose  mediation,  neither  wc, 
nor  any  of  all  the  saints,  have  the  least  intercourse 


64  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

with  God."  "  I  will  know  nothing/'  Luther  was  wont 
to  say,  —  '^  I  will  know  nothing  of  an  absolute  God ;  I 
dare  not  deal  with  God  except  through  a  mediator." 

Even  among  those  not  denying  the  proper  divinity, 
atonement,  and  intercession,  of  Christ,  how  many  seem 
to  have  only  dim  apprehensions  of  the  place  he  occu- 
pies in  the  kingdom  of  grace !  How  feeble  is  the 
hold  they  take  of  his  outstretched  hand,  the  only  hand 
that  can  open  the  door  and  guide  them  to  the  throne  I 
Need  we  go  further  than  this  to  account  for  the  want 
of  spiritual  comfort,  and  for  the  multitude  of  -unan- 
swered petitions  ?  Whoever  in  his  performances  for 
gets  the  Saviour,  or  would  make  a  Saviour  out  of  his 
performances,  has  yet  to  learn  what  real  prayer  is. 
Constantino  wrote  the  name  of  Christ  over  his  door. 
That  name,  so  significant,  so  precious  and  powerful, 
is  the  inscription  over  every  truly  devout  believer's 
place  for  secret  prayer,  over  the  door  of  every  truly 
Christian  sanctuary,  and  over  the  portal  to  the  palace 
of  the  Great  King.^ 

What  is  it  to  pray  in  the  name  of  Christ?  The 
name  of  Christ  denotes  the  sum  of  his  attributes  and 
offices,  the  entire  reality  and  activity  of  Immanuel  as 
King,  Priest,  and  Prophet ;  and  to  pray  in  his  name  is 
to  come  recognizing  his  authority,  his  atonement,  and 
his  veracity ;  it  is  to  go  to  the  Father  with  the  eye  of 
faith  upon  what  Christ  is,  what  he  has  done,  and  has 
taught,  as  supplying  the  warrant  and  ground  of  ap- 
proach.    Solely  for  Christ's  sake  ;  believing  that,  and 

1  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  once  reproved  the  Kev.  Dr.  Maxwell  —  and  the  reproof 
was  merited  — for  saying  grace  without  mentioning  the  name  of  our  Lord,  and 
hoped  he  would  in  future  be  more  mindful  of  the  apostolical  injunction. 


IN     THE     NAME     OF     CHRIST.  65 

asking  ia  accordance  with  such  belief,  is  prayer  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 

But  for  him,  there  would  be  no  access  for  any  one, 
at  any  time.  Acceptance  at  first  in  justification  can 
be  only  on  the  ground  of  Christ's  righteousness.  Past 
life  and  present  state,  whatever  they  may  be,  are  no 
hindrance,  provided  only  the  sinner  take  hold  of  the 
atonement,  and  humbly  accept  pardon  and  life  freely 
offered  him  on  that  ground.  It  is  not  the  prayers  of 
our  Lord  by  themselves  that  save  us  ;  "  in  Christ 
Jesus  ye  who  sometime  were  far  off  are  made  nigh 
by  the  blood  of  Christ." 

What  is  thus  true  in  regard  to  our  persons  is  true 
also  in  regard  to  our  petitions.  Is  the  foundation,  so 
indispensable  at  the  outset,  any  less  needed  as  the 
building  rises?  When  accepted  in  Christ,  it  is  not  by 
the  performance  of  good  works,  but  to  their  perform- 
ance, the  offering  of  prayer  being  one  of  them. 
Dependence  upon  him  is  entire  to  the  last,  as  well  as 
at  the  first.  Christ's  intercession  is  to  his  sacrifice 
what  providence  is  to  creation ;  it  is  mediation  contin- 
ued and  consummated.  There  is  a  corresponding 
relation  between  all  later  supplication  and  the  first 
penitent  cry  for  pardon.  All  the  spiritual  benefits 
designed  for  our  race,  having  been  purchased  by 
Christ,  are  committed  in  covenant  to  him ;  and  to  that 
exhaustless  treasury  there  is  but  one  approach. 

To  pray  in  the  manner  now  spoken  of  is  something 
more  than  the  mere  mention  of  his  name.  The  self- 
righteous  man  may  do  that  for  form's  sake,  or  by  way 
of  meritorious  compliment  at  the  close  of  his  devo- 
tional harangues.     In  the  believer's  lips,  these  words 

6* 


^6  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

mean  more  than  all  that  precedes :  they  embody  the 
sum  of  his  hopes,  and  are  the  condensed  profession  of 
his  faith. 

Prayer  is  a  devout  conference  with  God  concerning 
the  fruits  of  redemption ;  and  is  an  exercise  in  which 
the  suppliant's  unworthiness  needs  specially  to  be  felt; 
and,  being  appreciated,  he  will  be  led  in  equal  degree 
to  feel  the  need  of  a  mediator.  When,  therefore,  in 
his  addresses  to  God,  he  mentions  the  great  High 
Priest,  it  is  tantamount  to  saying,  '^  Not  in  my  own 
name,  but  because  I  stand  in  utter  need  of  a  Saviour ; 
because  Jesus  Christ  has  made  an  atonement,  and  as 
an  advocate  has  passed  into  the  heavens,  may  I  be 
heard." 

Praying  thus  implies  the  whole  act  of  justifj-ing 
faith ;  it  implies  such  a  sense  of  sin,  such  an  apprehen- 
sion of  Christ's  righteousness,  such  spiritual  aspira- 
tions, as  enter  into  a  saving  acceptance  of  the  gospel 
scheme.  Anything  short  of  that  indicates  ignorance 
as  to  the  import  of  this  weighty  expression,  ^'  in  the 
name  of  Jesus."  The  formula  has  no  magical  power 
in  itself;  its  charm  lies  in  being  an  echo  of  the  heart 
to  an  articulation  of  the  understanding. 

Coming  in  this  manner,  how  broad  do  we  find  our 
privilege  !  "Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that 
will  I  do."  Who  utters  this  ?  He  who  came  from  the 
Father,  who  has  returned  to  him,  and  whom  the  Father 
heareth  always ;  for  he  has  entered  into  an  irreversible 
covenant  with  the  Son ;  takes  infinite  delight  in  him ; 
and  there  is  nothing  he  will  not,  for  his  sake,  do  in 
behalf  of  his  people.  Never  was  a  bill,  however  large, 
presented,  bearing  his  name,  that  was  not  honored. 


IN     THE     NAME     OF     CHRIST.  67 

Christ  does  not  stand  before  the  throne  as  a  mere  sup- 
pliant, and  with  conscious  inferiority  ;  it  is  as  Prince 
and  Saviour  that  he  appears  for  us ;  never  forgetting, 
never  neglecting,  never  mismanaging,  aught  committed 
to  his  care. 

Being  one  with  his  people,  he  does  not  so  much  pre- 
sent their  prayers  as  his  own,  —  what  he  moves  them 
to  utter ;  for  nothing  ascends  to  heaven  that  does  not 
first  descend  from  heaven.  By  virtue  of  their  mystic 
union  to  him,  believers  are  in  telegraphic  communica- 
tion with  the  throne  of  grace  ;  keys  touched  here  have 
answering  keys  there.  Is  it  not  as  easy,  is  there 
not  as  good  authority,  to  ask  for  much  as  for  little? 
What  spiritual  treasure  or  deliverance  may  not  be  had 
through  such  an  advocate  ?  Mentioning  trustfully  his 
name,  we  may  have  ''all  things  whatsoever,"  according 
to  the  pledge,  ''  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide 
in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you." 

An  English  nobleman  once  received  a  ring  from 
Queen  Elizabeth,  with  the  assurance  that  if  ever,  in 
distress,  he  should  send  the  same  to  her,  she  would 
remember  and  deliver  him.  Has  not  God  given  thee 
a  gem,  a  royal  ring,  enclosing  his  own  image  and  super- 
scription ?  Send  it  up  to  him.  Think  you  he  will 
disown  the  pledge  ?  Let  us  come  boldly  unto  the 
throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and  find 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need. 

By  virtue  of  union  to  Christ,  the  feeblest  saint  has  a 
hold  upon  omnipotence,  and,  however  unworthy,  may 
carry  his  point,  provided  it  be  agreeable  to  God's  will; 
for   it   is   not  we  that  ask,  so  much  as  Christ;  and 


68  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

answers  are  not  so  much  to  us  as  to  him.  All  petitions 
and  praises  need  alike  to  go  into  his  golden  censer  to 
be  perfumed,  and  so  to  rise  as  sweet-smelling  savor. 
His  veracity  is  pledged.  If  you  are  not  answered,  his 
character  will  suffer,  and  hence  he  has  the  deepest 
interest  in  your  success.  He  throws  out  no  petition 
because  not  well  worded :  whatever  is  committed  to 
him  he  puts  into  the  very  best  form.  No  matter,  then, 
who  may  be  our  adversary,  so  long  as  Christ  is  our 
advocate.  Through  him  strengthening  us  we  can  do 
all  things,  and  through  him  pleading  for  us  we  may 
win  all  things.  Solomon's  throne  had  lions  round 
about ;  but  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  to  which  we 
come  is  the  Lamb,  ■ — the  Lamb  of  God. 

Desponding  Christian,  look  upward !  Behold  your 
Intercessor,  with  the  book  of  life,  pointing  to  your 
name.  Hear  him  speak  of  his  coeternal  glory  with  the 
Father ;  hear  him  plead  the  law  vindicated,  prophecies 
fulfilled,  miracles  wrought,  Avounds  and  bruises  re- 
ceived ;  hear  him  pronounce  death  robbed  of  its  sting, 
and  the  grave  of  its  victory ;  principalities  and  powers 
spoiled  and  triumphed  over ;  —  and  all  this  that  you 
and  your  prayers  may  be  accepted. 

The  case  of  ^schylus  often  comes  to  mind.  He  is 
on  trial  for  life,  and  likely  to  be  condemned.  Amyntas, 
his  brother,  who  has  lost  a  hand  in  fighting  for  his 
country,  enters  the  court,  raises  the  mutilated  arm, 
and,  without  a  word  being  spoken,  the  culprit  goes 
free.  We  are  impleaded  at  the  tribunal  of  heaven. 
Christ  enters ;  he  raises  his  wounded  hands,  and  we 
are  pardoned  ;  yes,  and  every  reasonable  favor  is 
granted  us.     Having  a  High  Priest  over  the  house  of 


UNION     WITH     CHRIST.  69 

G-od,  let  us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assur- 
ance of  faith.  Let  us  not  be  so  stinted  in  our  petitions: 
Christ  is  honored  by  large  requests.  Never  shall  we 
over-ask  the  merits  of  his  death  or  the  compass  of  his 
intercession. 

II.     UNION    Wmi    CHEIST. 

A  lavman  of  rare  spirituality,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  w^rote  thus:  "As  all  ordinances  are  the  gal- 
leries of  intercourse  between  God  and  his  people  in 
Christ,  so  prayer  hath  this  Avork  in  an  eminency.     It 
is  the  very  intercession  of  God's  own  Spirit  in  them ; 
it  is   the   private   retirement   in  wdiich    the    soul    is 
brought  into  the  presence  chamber,  and  hath  private 
conference  with  Christ,  and  the  Father  in  him.     The 
very  nature  of  prayer  is  a  thirst  after  the  living  God. 
It  is  the  very  breathing  of  the  soul's  union  with  God, 
and    the    means    whereby  it    is    preserved,  fortified, 
carried   on,  and    confirmed ;  and   whereby  the    sweet- 
ness and  nourishing  virtue  of  it  to  the  soul  is  improved, 
enjoyed,  and    increased.     Let   thy  prayers,   then,  be 
inward  and  single-hearted,  chiefly  aiming  at  and  priz- 
ing this  union;  and  refer  all  other  things  of  a  remote 
nature  to  the  wisdom  of  Him  to  whom  thou  art  united. 
Speak  to  him  as  one  who  is  in  his  bosom,  and  con- 
sider him  as  thy  only  helper  and  thy  most  sure  friend. 
Come  reverently,  behevingly,  with  resignation  of  thy 
heart  to  his,  and  so  creep  forward  into  an  humble  inti- 
macy and  famiharity  with  thy  God.     This  union  only 
begets  the  true  cry  of  Abba,  Father,  and  nourisheth  it." 
Scripture  teaches  that  men  in  their  unregenerato 


70  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

state  are  aliens  from  God,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit ;  there  being  no  spiritual  affiance  or  communion 
between  the  soul  and  our  adorable  Sovereign,  Saviour, 
and  Sanctifier.  When,  however,  the  great  change  takes 
place,  when  holy  faith  and  love  are  inwrought,  the 
believing  penitent  comes  to  Christ;  and  not  only  so, 
comes  into  him.  Clad  with  the  robe  of  his  justifying 
righteousness,  the  child  of  God  finds  that  in  the  king- 
dom of  grace,  ^Hhe  Lamb  is  the  temple  thereof;" 
that  Christ's  followers  are  resident  priests ;  and  that 
there  is  the  home  of  his  soul,  whence  he  is  to  go  no 
more  out. 

A  varied  imagery  sets  forth  this  truth :  "  I  am  the 
vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  The  plant  is  an  organized 
structure ;  it  cannot,  like  a  mineral  mass,  be  divided 
without  injury,  and  with  no  other  result  except  that 
instead  of  one  piece  there  become  two ;  the  plant, 
like  the  animal,  has  a  principle  of  life,  through  which 
it  is  built  up,  and  attains  its  form  and  functions.  To 
remove  a  branch  is  to  separate  the  same  fatally  from 
the  life-sustaining  stock.  Equally  close  and  indispen- 
sable is  the  union  of  believers  with  Christ.  There  are 
some  parasitic  plants,  whose  seeds  sprout  in  the  soil 
whence  the  root  derives  nourishment  in  the  usual 
manner ;  but  when  the  twining  stem  reaches  a  neigh- 
boring shrub  or  tree,  it  gives  out  aerial  roots,  which 
attach  themselves  firmly  to  the  surface  of  the  sup- 
porting plant,  and  feed  upon  its  juices.  The  original 
root  may  perish,  and  all  connection  with  the  soil  cease, 
still  the  plant  lives  and  flourishes.  Thus  it  is  with  the 
believer:  by  faith  he  embraces  and  cleaves  to  the 
Saviour ;  he  has  a  new  life,  and  becomes  dead  to  for- 


UNION    WITH     CHRIST.  71 

mer  connections  and  dependences.  He  has  passed 
from  the  state  of  nature  to  that  of  grace,  —  gracious 
union  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  quickening  dependence 
upon  him. 

Another  similitude  employed  by  sacred  wi'iters  is 
drawn  from  the  unity  of  the  members  and  the  body. 
"  We  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things,  which  is  the 
head,  even  Christ ;  from  whom  the  whole  body  fitly 
joined  together,  and  compacted  by  that  which  every 
joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  w^orking  in 
the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the 
body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love."  Christians 
belong  to  a  body  organized  and  owned  by  Jesus  Christ, 
he  the  soul  and  ruler,  while  each  one  is  as  truly  a 
member  as  another.  The  whole  together  forms  a  sys- 
tem that  is  pervaded  by  a  common  life  and  has  a 
common  end. 

Believers  are  not  thus  represented  as  a  body  politic, 
over  which  Christ  presides ;  nor  a  community  incor- 
porated on  the  ground  of  certain  characteristics,  and 
brought  into  certain  relations  to  Christ ;  but  as  formed 
with  him  into  an  organized  personality,  —  no  one  losing 
his  individuality,  yet  each  forming  a  constituent  part 
of  that  whole  which  is  vitalized,  nourished,  and  gov- 
erned by  Christ ;  he  being  immediately  the  soul  and 
regent  of  his  church. 

The  similitude  of  an  edifice  is  also  made  use  of  : 
"  To  whom  coming  as  unto  a  living  stone,  ye  also,  as 
lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  a  holy 
priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices  acceptable  to 
God,  by  Jesus  Christ."  The  peculiarity  here  is  that 
the  edifice  of  the  invisible  church,  being  founded  upon 


72  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Christ,  the  source  of  all  spiritual  vitality,  and  being 
made  up  of  those  whom  he  has  raised  to  newness  of 
life,  is  presented  before  us  as  an  animated  structure, 
all  the  materials  being  quick  with  the  vital  principle 
which  pervades  the  whole,  and  renders  it  less  a  fabric 
than  an  organism. 

This  unioD,  then,  is  something  more  than  a  mere  relar 
tion.  The  mutual  standing  of  friend'  to  friend,  or 
parent  to  child,  is  only  most  analogous  to  the  connec- 
tion now  contemplated.  The  soul  of  Jonathan  was 
indeed  knit  with  the  soul  of  David ;  but  there  was  no 
such  mystical  union  between  them  as  between  every 
believer  and  the  Son  of  David.  Yet,  if  asked  to  lay 
open  to  the  eye  the  form  and  nature  of  those  ties  which 
bind  Christ  and  his  saints  into  a  living  whole,  we  con- 
fess to  the  want  of  ability  or  desire  to  do  it.  "  This  is 
a  great  mystery,"  said  Paul,  after  using  the  additional 
metaphor  of  the  marriage  connection.  No  physiol- 
ogist has  yet  detected  and  defined  the  principle  of 
life  in  vegetable  or  animal  organism ;  and  no  spiritual 
anatomist  may  attempt  to  lay  open  what  is  inscrutable 
in  this  union,  any  more  than  that  of  the  two  natures 
in  Christ,  and  the  three  persons  in  the  Godhead.  It 
should  be  added,  this  is  something  else  than  what 
pantheists  talk  about,  —  a  community  of  nature,  a  uni- 
versal communism  of  essence  and  rank,  the  divine 
developing  itself  in  the  human,  the  great  impersonal 
All  arriving  at  consciousness  in  the  individuals  of  our 
race.  Nor  is  it  what  distempered  mystics  have  some- 
times dreamed  and  boasted  of,  —  an  actual  vision  of 
Deity,  a  personal  revelation,  an  interior,  immediate, 
visual  presentation  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  being  "Christed 
with  Christ,"  to  quote  their  jargon. 


UNION    WITH     CHRIST.  73 

These  images,  vine,  body,  building,  reciprocal  in- 
dwelling, and  the  like,  will  not  be  mistaken  as  carry- 
ing with  them  the  idea  of  physical  contact  or  of  local- 
ity in  any  sense.  The  union  is  not  that  of  aggregation, 
adhesion,  or  juxtaposition ;  it  is  as  real  in  the  case  of 
the  humblest  believer  on  earth  as  of  the  favored 
disciple  now  standing  nearest  our  glorified  Redeemer. 

While  such  ingrafting  is  the  source  of  spiritual  life, 
the  basis  and  beginning  of  communion  with  Christ,  one 
may  be  variably  conscious  of  it.  Its  very  existence  as 
well  as  benefits  may  be  obscured  to  an  unfaithful  dis- 
ciple. Believers  need  to  keep  alive  in  their  hearts  the 
fact  that  they  belong  to  Christ's  family,  and  that  it  is 
their  privilege  to  come  into  terms  of  close  fellowship 
and  abiding  residence.  It  is  for  them  to  be  with  him 
when  they  rise  up  and  when  they  lie  down ;  with  him 
at  the  table ;  with  him  when  they  go,  shutting  to  the 
door,  to  pray  in  secret ;  and  still  to  be  with  him  when 
they  go  abroad.  The  chief  question  evermore  sug- 
gests itself:  Is  this  a  present  reality;  not  a  remem- 
bered experience  of  the  past,  existing  more  in  memory 
than  in  the  heart,  narrated  when  profession  was  made, 
and  now  labelled  and  filed  away  among  dusty  docu- 
ments for  safe  keeping?  To  be  anything,  it  must  be  a 
life,  —  a  constant  spiritual  respiration  and  circulation, 
bringing  with  it  warmth  and  activity. 

^'  If  ye  abide  in  me."  To  abide  in  Christ  is  not 
merely  to  abide  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings,  nor  to 
abide  near  him ;  it  is  to  receive,  trust,  and  love  him ; 
to  have  such  assimilation  of  feelings  and  purposes,  and 
such  a  continued  sense  of  dependence,  as  shall  make 
him  to  seem  the  very  soul  of  one's  soul.     It  used  to  be 


74  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

said  that  between  Alexander  and  Hephsestion  there 
was  but  one  soul  in  their  two  bodies,  so  close  was  their 
fellowship,  so  peculiarly  mutual  their  joys  and  sorrows. 
AVhat  blessed  self-oblivion^  what  free  converse,  may 
there  be  between  an  affianced  soul  and  the  Saviour  ! 
How  does  personal  intercourse  become  a  quiet  and 
refreshing  reality  to  one  who  lives  on  terms  of  house- 
hold familiarity  with  the  Lord  Jesus !  All  thoughts 
are  laid  bare  to  him;  for  it  is  to  the  very  heart  of  hearts 
that  a  reciprocal  welcome  is  given.  Such  a  believer's 
Peniel  is  no  solitary  spot  in  his  pilgrimage :  it  is  the 
place  where  he  sojourns.  What  is  the  hidden  life,  3^ea, 
what  is  heaven,  but  a  company-keeping  with  Jesus? 

The  bearing  of  this  upon  the  efficacy  of  prayer  is 
evident.  Such  a  believer,  enjoying  habitual  fellowship 
with  our  Lord,  being  under  the  guidance  of  Christ's 
indwelling  words  and  spirit,  will  of  course  have  desires 
and  ask  for  objects  that  accord  with  the  mind  of  the 
great  High  Pi'iest.  Only  such  are  delivered  from  a 
spirit  and  purpose  foreign  to  his  family,  and  are  taught 
how  to  pray  and  what  to  pray  for  as  they  ought. 

They  retain  a  lively  sense  of  our  Lord's  mediation. 
It  is  of  prime  importance  in  the  whole  Christian  life, 
and  especially  in  prayer,  that  this  be  fully  appre- 
hended. Enlightened  suppliants  see  that  their  peti- 
tions must  be  rejected,  except  as  Christ  shall  present 
them,  and  they  be  looked  upon  by  God  only  in  their 
affiance  to  the  Saviour,  and  as  presenting  themselves 
screened  and  emboldened  beneath  the  personality  of 
the  Great  Advocate.  Nothing  will  rise  to  heaven 
except  what  comes  down  from  heaven.  Only  b}^  being 
in  Christ,  who  came  and  has  gone  back  again,  does  the 


UNION    WITH     CHRIST.  75 

soul  ascend ;  and,  once  mounting,  it  finds  prayer  to  be 
the  key  of  paradise.  Supplications  and  praises  in 
Christ  go  direct  to  the  mercy-seat^  where  is  his  official 
home. 

It  was  said  of  Luther, — and  it  is  sometimes  quoted  as 
if  a  remarkable  fact, — that  he  could  have  what  he  would 
of  God.^  But  who  uttered,  and  of  whom  was  it  said, 
^'  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye 
shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you  "  ? 
What  more  is  needful  for  any  one  than  to  bear  in  mind 
Christ's  prayers,  promises,  sufferings,  sympathy,  and 
present  intercession  ? 

Rightly  using  our  advantages,  we  may  beg  ourselves 
rich,  and  enrich  a  poverty-stricken  world.  The  danger 
is  not  that  we  ask  too  much,  but  that  we  fail  to  enter 
into  the  munificence  of  God's  promises.  Cleaving 
steadfastly  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  kept  and  keeping  in 
quick  sympathy  with  him,  we  may  indulge  a  reverent 
pertinacious  audacity.  Queen  Elizabeth  asked  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  when  he  would  cease  begging  of  her  ? 
^^Not,"  replied  the  bold  knight,  then  a  favorite, —  ^'not 
till  your  majesty  cease  giving."  So  may  we  keep  on 
asking. 

Royal  attachments  are  seldom  permanent;  earthly 
monarchs  are  seldom  easily  accessible.  One  king  of 
Portugal  never  was  within  the  limits  of  his  kingdom ; 
but  the  Lord  our  Saviour  is  ready  to  take  up  his  last- 
ing abode  with  the  humblest  as  with  the  highest  of  his 
friends ;  he  comes  to  sit  down  with  them,  and  talk 
with  them,  on  terms  of  the  most  endeared  intimacy. 

I  Hie  homo  potuit  apud  Deum  quod  voluit. 


7,6  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

There  is  no  one  else  whom  we  could  bear,  or  whom  it 
would  be  safe,  to  have  literally  always  with  us.  Brief 
separation,  at  least,  from  all  others  is  important  regu- 
larly, that  each  may  come  more  fully  to  a  consciousness 
of  his  own  individual  position  and  wants,  and  to  a  more 
undisturbed  fellowship  with  his  constant  divine  Inmate. 
Would  tJiat  the  wondrous  fact  of  union  to  Christ 
with  its  immunities  were  more  pondered  upon !  Never 
will  believers  rise  to  a  full  appreciation  of  their  high 
privileges,  resources,  and  duties,  till,  in  all  its  length 
and  breadth,  they  take  in  this  idea,  —  that  the  whole 
Israel  of  God  were  chosen  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  were  given  specially  to  him  by 
the  Father  ;  that  antediluvian,  patriarchal,  and  Jewish 
believers  form  a  part  of  that  commonwealth  of  which 
he  is  the  head  and  life  ;  that  true  believers,  since 
Christ's  advent,  have  been  contributing  to  make  up 
the  complement  of  his  body ;  that  all  such  now  living, 
whatever  their  name  or  nation,  are  one  in  him,  his 
presence  and  his  honor  being  their  common  comfort 
and  aim ;  that  those  yet  to  be  born  and  born  again  will 
come  into  that  same  homogeneous  society  ;  that  the 
spiritual  life,  joy,  growth,  and  glory  of  all  depend  upon 
their  being  part  and  parcel  of  his  invisible  church,  his 
kingdom,  his  body ;  and  that  they  are  thus  conjoined 
to  their  Lord,  in  order  that,  abiding  in  him,  they  may 
call  down  the  largest  blessings  upon  themselves  indi- 
vidually, upon  the  whole  church  militant,  and  upon 
the  world.  Blessed  union  !  sublime  office  of  com- 
munion and  supplication  ! 


OFFICE    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  77 


HL    OFFICE  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIUIT. 

In  no  other  exercise  is  there  such  a  wonderful  com- 
bination and  circle  of  agency  as  in  prayer.  A  mere 
creature  here  on  earth  comes  before  the  high  and  lofty 
One,  in  the  name  of  an  adorable  Redeemer,  and  with 
the  aid  of  an  indwelling  Comforter.  A  helpless  mor- 
tal and  the  three  persons  of  the  Trinity  are  immedi- 
ately concerned.  If  either  party  were  wanting  in  the 
transaction,  the  circuit  would  be  broken. 

No  feature  in  this  arrangement  is  more  animating 
than  the  part  borne  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  One  with 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  he  dwells  without  measure  in 
Jesus  Christ ;  proceeding  from  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  he  dwells  also  in  renewed  hearts,  and  thus  is  the 
immediate  agent,  the  bond  of  union  and  communion 
between  Creator  and  creatures,  between  Redeemer 
and  redeemed.  In  him  and  by  him,  heaven  and  earth 
are  linked  in  hallowed  co-operation.  When  he  moves 
suppliants  to  the  mercy-seat,  then  do  they  as  princes 
have  power  with  God  and  prevail ;  it  is  God  with  God 
at  Peniel. 

While  there  is  a  natural  gift,  there  is  also  a  gracious 
gift  in  this  exercise,  indicated  by  the  topics,  the  lan- 
guage, and  emotions.  The  most  important  branch  of 
the  Spirit's  office  is  the  awakening  of  right  affections; 
and  we  do  not  understand  that,  independent  of  them, 
there  is  a  grace  of  prayer.  These,  however,  are 
called  forth  to  an  unusual  degree  when  the  Comforter 
makes  intercession  for  us ;  and  under  no  circum- 
stances is  so  lively  an  exercise  of  them  demanded  as 

7* 


7"8  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

in  an  act  of  worship.  Then  eminently  does  the  soul 
need  to  apprehend  the  mediation  of  Christ ;  then,  in  a 
peculiar  manner,  is  realized  what  the  Saviour  said : 
"  He  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto 
you."  Does  not  the  Spirit  give  to  the  beHever  a  full 
persuasion  that  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but 
by  the  Son ;  that  Christ's  righteousness,  apprehended 
by  faith,  is  the  sole  ground  of  justification ;  and  that 
the  suppliant  has  a  prevailing  advocate  before  the 
throne  ? 

We  do  not  believe  that  Christ's  promise,  "  He  shall 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance,"  Avas  limited  to  those  miraculous  gifts 
bestowed  upon  the  apostles.  It  will  not  be  exhausted 
till  the  last  disciple  on  earth  shall  have  been  relieved 
from  all  his  infirmities.  While,  without  doubt,  the 
office  of  the  Spirit  in  prayer  lies  mainly  in  purifying 
and  quickening  the  aflections,  shall  we  say  that  his 
office  extends  no  farther;  that  memory  receives  no 
aid,  or  that  even  appropriate  language  is  not  sug- 
gested ?  '^  The  preparations  of  the  heart  in  man,  and 
the  answer  of  the  tongue,  is  from  the  Lord."  "  As  a 
mother,"  says  one,^  "  dictates  its  prayers  to  her  child, 
so  does  the  Holy  Ghost  to  us,  who  repeat  them  with  a 
faltering  tongue." 

True  penitence,  love  to  God,  faith  in  Christ,  all  gra- 
cious ability  in  prayer,  are  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  Must 
we  not  suppose  that  in  every  instance  of  fellowship 
with  the  Father  and  with  the  Son,  a  devout  impulse 
and  concurrent  aid  are  imparted  by  the  divine  Com- 
forter?    Is  not  he   the   friendly  messenger  who   fui-- 

1  St.  Martin. 


OFFICE    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  79 

nishes  the  wedding  garment,  and  awakens  a  favorable 
disposition  in  the  reluctant  guest? 

One  branch  of  the  Spirit's  oflSce-work  relates  to  the 
subject-matter :  "  For  we  know  not  what  we  should 
pray  for  as  we  ought."  The  common  impression  is 
otherwise.  It  is  usually  supposed  that  men  know  well 
enough  what  to  ask,  —  the  only  difficulty  being  the 
absence  of  suitable  desires.  True,  there  are  many 
stated  objects  of  petition  in  regard  to  which  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  and  a  criminal  backwardness  of  some 
self-seeking  motive  is  often  the  only  obstacle.  Yet 
every  suppliant  finds  that  the  more  devout  he  grows, 
the  more  specific  he  usually  becomes ;  and  experience 
teaches  that  when  he  descends  into  particulars  he 
needs  special  guidance.  Beyond  the  points  of  ordi- 
nary spiritual  necessity  in  himself  and  devout  de- 
sire for  others,  he  finds  that  what  to  ask  is  by  no 
means  plain,  and  to  ask  aright  by  no  means  easy. 
The  states  of  feeling  and  the  outward  circumstances 
through  which  he  passes  are  various.  It  becomes  evi- 
dent that  many  times  he  has  desired  what  was  not 
indeed  unlawful,  yet  was  hurtful ;  that  beyond  the 
kindness  which  he  had  supposed  would  grant  a  given 
request,  there  was  a  higher  kindness  which  denied 
him.  A  wise  physician  does  not  allow  what  the  par 
tient  craves  if  contrary  to  health.  A  person's  own 
good,  the  good  of  others,  and  the  glory  of  God's  con- 
cealed purposes,  often  stand  in  the  way  of  an  answer, 
when,  in  choosing  topics,  the  mind  has  not  been  led  by 
the  Spirit.  Elijah,  Job,  and  Jonah  prayed  prematurely 
that  they  might  die.  AWaham  interceded  that  Sodom 
might  be  spared,  while  Lot  only  was  to  be  rescued. 


80  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Jacob  asked  the  name  of  that  mighty  wrestler  with 
whom  he  engaged ;  the  secret  was  not  made  known ; 
but  he  obtained  a  confirmation  of  the  great  Messianic 
blessing.  Moses  said,  '^  I  pray  thee,  let  me  go  over 
and  see  the  good  land  that  is  beyond  Jordan,  that 
goodly  mountain  and  Lebanon ;  "  the  Lord  said,  "  Let 
it  suffice  thee ;  speak  no  more  unto  me  of  this  matter." 
The  great  apostle  knew  not  what  would  be  best  for 
him,  when  he  thrice  asked  to  have  the  thorn  in  his 
flesh  removed ;  but  there  was  an  underlying,  unex- 
pressed desire  which  brought  down  the  answer :  "  My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  He  sought  the  removal 
of  a  grievance  ;  the  Holy  Spirit  sought  for  him  help 
to  endure  and  improve  the  trial.  Still  less  did  James 
and  John  know  what  to  pray  for  as  they  ought,  when, 
with  intemperate,  resentful  haste,  they  would  have 
called  fire  from  heaven  on  the  Samaritans ;  or  the 
mother  of  Zebedee's  children,  when  she  sought  for 
them  a  place  on  Christ's  right  hand  and  on  his  left  in 
his  kingdom. 

Often  is  there  a  disproportionate  earnestness  for 
temporal  blessings ;  and,  in  general,  as  to  the  form  of 
supplication  for  ourselves  or  others,  how  can  we  know 
what  is  right  and  best,  except  as  we  are  taught  and 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Now,  while  uusanctified 
philosophy  makes  our  ignorance  an  argument  against 
all  prayer,  inspiration  reverses  the  plea.  "  Likewise 
the  Holy  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities,  for  we 
know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought ;  but 
the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us,  with 
groanings  Avhich  cannot  be  uttered."  A  scoff'er  might 
by  this  be   reminded  of  certain  well-known  extrava- 


OFFICE    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  81 

gances.  He  would  summon  up  to  his  view  a  company 
of  whirling  dervishes,  or  their  counterpart  in  some 
of  the  nominally  Christian  sects ;  or  perhaps  the  ner- 
vous perturbations,  the  contagious  agitations,  involun- 
tary outcries  and  prostrations,  sometimes  witnessed 
among  truly  Christian  people.  But  no  supposable 
amount  of  delusion,  or  mere  animal  excitation,  no 
actual  ridicule  which  it  may  occasion,  should  deter  us 
from  maintaining  what  this  passage  declares  and  Chris- 
tian experience  confirms,  —  that  "  the  Spirit  itself  mak- 
eth  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which  can- 
not be  uttered,"  —  that  there  are  times  when  behev- 
ers  have  irrepressible  and  inexpressible  longings  in 
prayer;  when  their  desires  for  the  advancement,  of 
God's  glory  in  their  own  sanctification,  and  in  the  tri- 
umphs of  truth,  are  of  a  kind  for  which  human  lan- 
guage does  not  appear  to  have  been  framed.  Their 
emotions  in  view  of  the  divine  attributes  and  their 
own  vileness,  and  in  view  of  the  wonders  of  redemp- 
tion, are  such  as  angel  tongues  alone  can  utter.  Yes, 
there  are  groanings  under  a  sense  of  sin,  and  groan- 
ings under  a  burden  of  rapturous  contemplation, 
which  cannot  be  uttered. 

Devout  persons,  accustomed  to  self-inspection,  will 
not  find  it  difficult  to  admit  that,  often,  lower  down 
than  the  zone  of  clear  thought  and  of  distinct  percep- 
tion as  to  what  lies  on  the  silvery  surface  above,  or  on 
the  surface  of  the  overarching  firmament,  there  may  be 
true  spiritual  life  and  movement.  It  is  not  strange  to 
them  that,  owing  to  grief  or  other  disturbing  causes,  a 
good  deal  of  mental  confusion  and  dimness  of  religious 
vision  may  sometimes  exist.      They  can  understand 


82  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

David,  when  he  cries,  "  I  am  so  troubled  that  I  cannot 
speak ; "  and  Hezekiah,  "  Like  a  crane  or  a  swallow,  so 
did  I  chatter." 

Amidst  such  infirmities  the  Holy  Spirit  affords  aid, 
even  in  and  through  groanings  that  are  unutterable, 
for  which  there  are  no  words  in  terrestrial  dialects. 
Not  only,  as  already  affirmed,  does  he  assist  in  such 
prayer  as  finds  distinct  utterance,  but,  as  he  is  sent 
forth  into  our  hearts  crying,  Abba,  Father,  so  he  sends 
us  to  the  throne  with  less  articulate  cries.  What  un- 
recorded and  unuttered  groanings  of  penitence  were 
there  on  the  part  of  ^^  the  woman  that  was  a  sinner," 
who  bathed  our  Saviour's  feet ;  and  in  the  broken 
heart  of  Peter,  when,  going  out,  he  wept  bitterly ! 

We  have,  then,  two  Intercessors,  —  one  in  heaven, 
one  in  the  heart ;  Christ  for  us,  the  Spirit  within  us ; 
Christ  at  the  mercy-seat,  the  Comforter  in  the  sup- 
pliant's breast.  Every  believer's  soul  has  a  chapel,  an 
oratory,  where  this  heavenly  guest  is  both  prophet 
and  priest.  "Your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ; "  and  it  is  in  prayer,  if  ever,  that  we  are  filled 
with  all  the  fulness  of  God. 

Not  unfrequently  does  the  mind  enjoy  a  highly  de- 
votional frame  without  embodying  its  aspirations  in 
very  specific  terms.  There  are  longings  and  inward 
groanings  that  do  not  find  utterance  in  definite  words. 
Vociferation  is,  of  course,  not  to  be  encouraged ;  nor 
is  it  that, — wliether  intelligent  or  unintelligent,  artic- 
ulate or  sheer  noise, —  which  we  now  have  in  mind. 
Those  who  live  near  to  God  have  no  need  to  cry 
aloud.  The  groanings  spoken  of  do  not  escape  from 
the  lips  ;  they  echo  amidst  the  silence  of  the  soul. 


OFFICE    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT.  83 

There  is  liability  to  mistake  in  this  matter  ;  a  liabil- 
ity from  which  the  illuminating  Spirit  alone  can  effect- 
aally  guard  us.  Before  coming  out  of  the  bondage  of 
Satan  into  the  liberty  of  Christ,  Whitefield,  as  he  con- 
fesses, practised  a  devotional  penance.  "  Whenever  I 
knelt  down/'  ho  says,  ''  I  felt  great  pressure  both  on 
soul  and  body,  and  have  often  prayed  under  the 
weight  of  them  till  the  sweat  came  through  me.  God 
only  knows  how  many  nights  I  have  lain  upon  my  bed 
groaning  under  what  I  felt.  Whole  days  and  weeks 
have  I  spent  in  lying  prostrate  on  the  ground  in  silent 
or  vocal  prayer."  That  was  but  mimicry ;  Satan's 
counterfeit  of  genuine  spiritual  earnestness. 

Not  a  word  would  v/e  say  to  encourage  vague  fan- 
cies, a  mere  sentimental,  organic  fervor;  yet,  no  doubt, 
the  soul  may  be  in  a  state  of  decided  spiritual  ear- 
nestness, of  rapture  even,  without  being  able  to  say 
positively  what  occasions  the  heavenward  heaving,  or 
to  point  out  the  precise  bearing  of  her  intense  flames. 
As  the  heart  may  open  though  the  lips  remain  closed, 
so  may  there  be  waves  of  aspiration  thougk  no  artic- 
ulate desires.  Certainly,  sometimes  prayer  is  "the 
burden  of  a  sigh."  ''  Oh,  Margaret,"  said  James 
Laing,  the  little  boy  whose  memoir  is  given  by  Mc- 
Cheyne, — "  Oh,  Margaret,  I  prayed  to  Jesus  as  long 
as  I  was  able  ;  but  now  I'm  not  able,  and  he  does  not 
want  it  from  me,  but  I'm  just  always  giving  him  my 
heart." 

"  He  that  searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  he  maketh  intercession  for 
the  saints  according  to  the  wifl  of  God."  When  these 
inarticulate  aspirations,  thus  awakened,  come  before 


84  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

him,  God,  the  Father,  approves.  He  knows  well  the 
intention  of  the  Spirit.  There  is  a  perfect  understand- 
ing between  them.  Such  inward  sighs  are  stirred  by 
One  who  is  versed  in  the  counsels  of  the  Godhead, — 
"  for  he  searcheth  the  deep  things  of  God,"  —  and  who 
has  no  aim  that  is  not  in  perfect  triune  concord.  He 
maketh  intercession  for  tiie  saints  according  to  the 
will  of  God ;  and  all  such  genuine  groanings  are  only 
God  working  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good 
pleasure. 

While,  then,  we  learn  that  effectual  prayer  comes 
from  the  Holy  Spirit,  stirring  us  up,  and  guiding  our 
affections ;  while  we  learn  that  mere  fluency  of  devo- 
tional utterance  is  no  proof  that  effectual  prayer  is 
offered,  we  get  large  encouragement  from  this  truth. 
We  find  that  a  sobbing  heart  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  in- 
strument ;  that  in  the  ear  of  the  God  of  Sabaoth  the 
^olian  harp  may  discourse  more  acceptable  sounds 
than  any  voice,  however  faultless  the  elocution. 

Even  hazy  moods  and  gropings  may  not  be  value- 
less. While  we  discountenance  all  purely  fantastic 
notions,  all  credulous  reveries  of  imagination,  we 
would  at  the  same  time  persistently  affirm  the  Scrip- 
ture truth  of  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered,  pro- 
duced by  the  Holy  Spirit  acting  as  a  gracious  auxiliary 
amidst  our  devotional  infirmities. 


FAITH    AND    LOVE.  85 


IV.     FAITH   AIsD    LOVE. 

"Ask  and  ye  shall  receive.''  The  Bible  is  its  own 
interpreter ;  and  we  must  search  to  see  if  so  broad  a 
promise  as  this  has  any  other  limitations  besides  those 
already  dwelt  upon,  —  praying  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
and  with  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  further  restriction  has  respect  to  the  manner  of 
asking,  the  exercise  of  faith  being  required.  "All 
things  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye 
shall  receive."  The  want  of  faith  is  enough  to  defeat 
any  petition  ;  it  silently  impeaches  the  truthfulness  of 
God,  an  attribute  over  which  he  is  peculiarly  jealous. 
Unbelief  has  the  effrontery  to  say  to  him  that  he  can- 
not or  will  not  perform  what  he  has  engaged  to  do. 
The  man  of  Uz  cried,  in  his  anguish,  "  If  I  had  called 
and  he  had  answered  me,  yet  would  I  not  believe  that 
he  had  hearkened  unto  my  voice."  Very  different 
was  it  with  the  man  from  Ur ;  he  "  staggered  not  at 
the  promise  of  God  through  unbelief;  but  was  strong 
in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God  ;  and  being  fully  per- 
suaded that  what  he  had  promised  he  was  able  also  to 
perform."  Nothing  so  cuts  the  sinews  of  prayer,  and 
takes  its  very  heart  out,  as  to  allow  the  thought  that 
there  can  be  want  of  ability  or  readiness  on  the  part 
of  God. 

When  the  people  despised  Christ's  testimony,  he 
could  there  do  no  mighty  work,  save  that  he  laid  his 
hand  upon  a  few  sick  folk  and  healed  them.  What 
can  be  so  unreasonable,  so  criminal,  as  to  discredit  the 
Lord  of  glory  ?    He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe 


86  T  H  E     M  E  R  C  Y-S  E  A  T . 

that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 
gently seek  him.  It  may  seem  singular  that  such  an 
apparent  truism  should  be  laid  down.  The  worship- 
per, it  is  affirmed,  must  believe  that  God  exists.  The 
occasion  for  this  affirmation  is  to  be  found,  not  so 
much  in  its  logical  importance,  as  in  a  manner  of 
prayer  that  is  too  common.  Often  is  the  act  of  pro- 
fessed devotion  wholly  a  formal  one,  with  no  influenc- 
ing apprehension  of  God's  existence.  It  is  performed 
as  if  no  benefit  were  expected  from  the  exercise.  To 
be  thus  undevout  is  to  be  atheistical.  The  man  who 
uniformly  prays  without  any  clear  conviction  of  God's 
presence,  is  without  God  in  the  world;  he  has  only  a 
speculative  faith,  mere  deism.  Nothing  avails  short  of 
the  belief  that  there  is  real  efficacy  in  prayer;  that 
the  child  does  not  more  truly  obtain  answers  from 
its  parent  than  the  believing  suppliant  obtains  good 
things  from  his  heavenly  Father. 

Another  limitation  has  respect  to  the  motive  of  the 
suppliant;  his  aim  must  be  the  glory  of  God.  Selfish- 
ness is  the  bane  of  devotions.  "  If  I  regard  iniquity 
in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me."  Holy  love 
to  God,  loyalty  to  his  name,  was  what  nerved  the 
mighty  wrestlers  of  old.  Thus  did  Moses  plead  for 
Israel  wdien  they  had  provoked  the  Lord  by  their  idol- 
atry at  Sinai.  So,  when  the  people  murmured  in  the 
land  of  Paran,  he  asked  sparing  mercy,  lest  the  name 
of  Jehovah  should  be  blasphemed  by  the^  heathen. 
Joshua,  after  the  offence  of  Achan,  took  up  the  same 
argument :  ''  What  wilt  thou  do  unto  thy  great  name  ?  " 
David  also  employs  it ;  thus  too  Solomon  in  his  dedica- 
tory prayer :  "  Hear  thou  in  heaven  thy  dwelling-place, 


FAITH     AND     LOVE.  87 

that  all  the  people  of  the  earth  may  know  thy  name ;  " 
and  tlms  Jeremiah :  ''  Do  not  abhor  us  for  thy  name's 
sake,  do  not  disgrace  the  throne  of  thy  glory:  re- 
member, break  not  thy  covenant  with  us."  Such  an 
appeal,  mindful  chiefly  of  the  rights  and  dignity  of  the 
Great  King,  will  prevail,  if  anything  can.  It  so  har- 
monizes with  the  revealed  purposes  of  God  in  all  his 
works  that  it  must  be  peculiarly  pleasing  to  him. 

Are  we  not  to  suppose  that  the  more  unmingled 
this  motive,  and  the  more  enlarged  its  scope,  the  more 
acceptable  it  is  ?  Only  when  taking  the  widest  range 
does  it  accord  with  the  munificence  of  Him  who 
heareth  prayer,  and  who  hath  done  marvellous  things. 
Every  suppliant  coming  with  the  right  manner,  medium, 
and  motive,  hears  from  the  mercy-seat,  '^  Be  it  unto 
thee  as  thou  wilt !  "  Is  not  the  Great  King  honored 
by  a  confiding  recognition  of  his  resources  and  his 
readiness?  Is  it  not  as  easy  for  him  to  feed  five 
thousand  as  five  ?  Does  not  the  sun  in  our  firmament 
get  more  glory  to  himself  by  illuminating  a  hemi- 
sphere than  a  single  cabin?  When  Alexander  be- 
stowed a  large  gift  upon  one  of  his  subjects,  the  man 
exclaimed  in  surprise  and  delight,  ''This  is  more 
than  I  am  worthy  of!"  "I  do  not  give  it  thee,"  said 
the  king,  ^'  because  thou  art  worthy  of  it ;  but  I  be. 
stow  a  gift  like  Alexander."  How  fitting  is  the  chal- 
lenge, ''  Ascribe  ye  greatness  to  our  God,"  —  by  ex- 
pecting great  things  of  him,  —  ''ascribe  ye  greatness  to 
our  Cod."  T7e  would  beware  of  asking  only  a  little; 
and  never  w^ould  wo  go  to  God  as  if  he  grudged  to 
bestow.  In  his  very  nature  he  is  imperially  diffusive  ; 
and  not  to  ask  large  favors  reflects  dishonor  upon  him 


88  THE     MEECY-SEAT. 

whose  delight  is  to  give  bountifully.  Oh  for  a  holy 
boldness  to  enter  appreciatingly  into  the  largeness  of 
our  devotional  privileges ;  for  a  faith  working  by  love 
commensurately  with  the  promises  of  the  Father,  the 
high-priesthood  of  the  Son,  and  the  available  presence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit ! 

The  objects  of  petition  must  come  within  the  range 
of  God's  good  pleasure.  Faith  and  love  would  desire 
only  such.  '^  And  this  is  the  confidence  that  we  have 
in  him,  that  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will 
he  heareth  us."  How  shall  that  harmony  be  ascer- 
tained ?  Only  by  consulting  the  word  of  God.  We 
may  know,  for  instance,  that  whatever  is  required 
universally — as  any  virtue  or  any  observance  enjoined 
by  him  —  accords  with  his  purpose,  and  hence  is  a 
fitting  theme  of  prayer. 

So,  too,  whatever  he  promises.  When  we  read, 
"  They  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any  good 
thing,"  or,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee," 
we  may  with  the  greatest  confidence  plead  those 
words  before  the  throne ;  every  absolute  promise 
authorizing  absolute  entreaty,  but  a  conditional  prom- 
ise only  conditional  entreaty. 

Whatever  God  has  prophetically  or  otherwise  indi- 
cated to  be  according  to  his  will,  is  appropriate  in 
petition.  To  the  eternal  Son  he  made  a  covenant 
pledge  of  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession.  What 
encouragement  and  scope  there  are  for  supplications 
to  God  in  behalf  of  the  conversion  of  sinners  !  Not 
only  the  chief  of  apostles,  but  the  most  retired  be- 
liever, pleading  promises   exceeding   great  and  pre- 


FAITH    AND     LOVE.  89 

cious,  in  the  name  of  the  great  Redeemer,  may  ac- 
complish wonders.  "When  I  first  obtained  a  hope," 
said  Harlan  Page,  -'  I  prayed  year  after  year  that  God 
would  make  me  the  means  of  saving  souls  ;  and  I 
think  I  have  had  evidence  that  more  than  one  hundred 
souls  have  been  converted  to  God  through  my  own 
direct  and  personal  instrumentality.  It  is  all  of  God's 
grace,  and  nothing  that  I  have  done." 

The  recorded  prayers  of  inspired  men  embrace 
subject-matter  in  harmony  with  the  divine  will.  Men 
of  God  were  not  moved  to  go  beyond  the  limits  of 
soberest  propriety.  Turn  to  the  intercessions  of  one 
such  man.  For  the  Hebrews  he  prayed,  "Now  the 
God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from  the  dead  our 
Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through 
the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  make  you  per- 
fect in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will ;  "  for  the  Chris- 
tians of  Thessalonica,  "  The  very  God  of  peace  sanc- 
tify you  wholly ;  "  and  in  behalf  of  the  Ephesian 
Church,  "  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye,  being  I'ooted 
and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend 
with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and 
depth,  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ, 
which  passeth  all  knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled 
with  all  the  fulness  of  God  ! "  We  are  awed  by  such 
sublime  expressions,  such  mighty  strugglings  of  an 
intercessory  spirit.  If  this  were  not  an  actual  suppli- 
cation, offered  in  behalf  of  persons  then  living,  we 
should  suppose  it  to  be  the  fragment  of  an  apocalypse; 
some  prophetic  vision  of  saints  made  glorious  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  God  and  the  Lamb  :    "  Filled 

8* 


90  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

with  all  the  fulness  of  God  I ''  With  an  example  like 
this  before  him,  what  length  or  breadth,  what  height 
or  depth,  of  spiritual  attainments  need  any  one  ever 
hesitate  to  ask  for  himself  or  others  ? 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  promises  most  explicit 
and  least  qualified  are  the  ones  relating  to  spiritual 
benefits.  Genuine  faith  and  hope  do  not  rest  on  mere 
conjecture,  on  pleasant  guesses,  but  on  recorded  au- 
thority from  God.  By  the  study  of  his  Word  we  may 
fill  our  mouths  with  arguments,  and  embolden  our- 
selves in  that  fervent,  effectual  prayer  which  availeth 
much.  With  these  guarantees,  and  within  these  limits, 
what  achievements  may  not  be  won  ?  Grants  are  al- 
ready made  out  in  heaven :  all  that  is  wanting  is  an 
application  in  faith,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  for  the 
glory  of  God. 


V. 


METHOD. 


dir^- 


r?) 


ADDRESS   AND    ADORATION. 


HE  relations  in  which  every  suppliant 
stands  are  various ;  a  corresponding  va- 
riety of  feelings  may  be  expected  to 
succeed  one  another  in  prayer ;  but 
the  order  in  which  they  arise  depends 
chiefly  upon  habit  and  previous  thought. 
Ordinarily,  method  of  some  kind  is  for 
every  reason  desirable.  Due  arrange- 
ment by  no  means  implies  formality,  nor 
a  want  of  reliance  upon  divine  aid ;  ^'  for  God  is  not 
the  author  of  confusion."  While  no  prayer  will  avail 
by  its  regularity  alone,  it  cannot  on  that  account 
be  any  less  acceptable  to  Him  whose  wisdom  shone 
so  eminently  in  reducing  chaos  to  order.  Without 
being  mechanical,  we  may  be  methodical ;  and  in  no 
other  way  will  a  person  avoid  being  desultory  and 
repetitious. 

Reference  is  now  had  chiefly  to  social  prayer,  a 
proper  method  being  particularly  important  for  the 
enjoyment  and  profit  of  others.  Who  has  not  listened 
to  such  incoherence  as  set  all  comfortable  participa- 
tion at  defiance  ?  The  exercises  of  adoration  and  hu- 
miliation, of  thanksgiving  and  petition,  are  certainly 

ox 


92  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

SO  distinct  that  they  cannot  with  propriety  be  com- 
mingled indiscriminately.  Such  confusion  bewilders 
the  listener  if  it  does  not  insult  God.  Let  all  things, 
prayer  not  least,  be  done  decently  and  in  order. 

True,  there  are  circumstances  under  which  method 
is  not  important,  and  is  scarcely  admissible.  Such  are 
sudden  or  peculiar  emergencies,  and  the  existence  of 
any  strong  emotion,  which  necessarily  gives  a  single  di- 
rection to  devotional  exercises.  Appropriate  brevity, 
also,  sometimes  precludes  much  regard  to  plan.  Ejac- 
ulatory  prayer,  in  particular,  must  be  as  informal  as  it 
is  unpremeditated. 

The  more  usual  parts  of  prayer  are  the  address,  fol- 
lowed by  adoration,  thanksgiving,  confession,  and  peti- 
tion. In  human  intercourse,  —  particularly  when  a 
superior  is  approached,  —  usage  demands  the  men- 
tion of  his  name  with  some  accompanying  epithet. 
There  is  felt  to  be  a  similar  propriety  in  coming  before 
the  Supreme  Being.  Looking  at  the  Psalms  and  other 
prayers  transmitted  to  us  in  the  Bible, — those  of  Abra- 
ham and  Moses,  of  David  and  Solomon,  of  Nehemiah 
and  Daniel,  of  Christ  and  the  apostles, —  we  find  the 
following  to  be  the  more  usual  forms  of  invocation,  both 
at  the  opening  of  prayer  and  during  its  progress  : 
Lord,  0  Lord,  0  Lord  of  hosts,  0  Lord  our  Lord,  0 
Lord  our  Shield.  In  the  same  manner,  God,  0  God, 
My  God,  0  my  God,  0  thou  my  God,  and  0  our  God,  0 
God  of  Israel,  0  God  of  Jacob,  0  God  of  my  father 
Abraham,  0  God  of  hosts.  Often  do  we  meet  with  a 
combination  of  names  and  titles :  Lord  Jesus,  0  Lord 
God,  0  Lord  my  God,  and  0  Lord  our  God,  0  Lord 
God  of  my  salvation,  0  Lord  God  of  heaven,  0  Lord 


ADDRESS     AND     ADORATION.  93 

God  of  hosts.  Descriptive  modes  of  address  are  some- 
times employed,  in  which  no  name  of  the  Supreme 
Being  is  expressed,  but  one  is  understood :  0  Thou 
Most  High,  0  Thou  Holy  One  of  Israel,  0  thou  that 
savest  by  thy  right  hand  them  that  put  their  trust  in 
thee.  There  are  also  metaphorical  invocations  :  0  my 
Strength,  0  Shepherd  of  Israel,  0  Thou  Preserver  of 
men.  Every  child  is  familiar  with  those  words  the 
Saviour  taught :  ^'  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven." 
Christ,  in  his  own  prayers,  often  employed  a  similar 
address,  though  sometimes,  if  not  always,  invoking  the 
first  Person  in  the  Trinity,  and  not  God  as  the  uni- 
versal, heavenly  parent.  Thus  we  hear  him  saying. 
Father,  Holy  Father,  0  Father,  0  my  Father,  0  right- 
eous Father. 

In  making  these  citations,  it  is  not  designed  to  inti- 
mate that  no  other  modes  of  address  are  allowable. 
Scripture  abounds  with  appropriate  forms  not  occur- 
ring in  the  express  prayers  which  it  contains.  Nor 
can  any  objection  be  raised  to  uninspired  language  in 
devotional  exercises,  provided  it  be  reverent  and  in 
good  taste.  Neither  is  it  intimated  that  any  particular 
stress  is  to  be  laid  upon  this  variety.  The  Mohamme- 
dans affirm  that  God  has  ninety-nine  excellent  names, 
which,  together  with  that  of  Allah,  make  a  hundred. 
For  this  reason  their  chaplets  consist  of  a  hundred 
beads,  at  each  of  which  they  invoke  one  of  these 
names  ;  and  they  have  a  saying,  that  whoever  invokes 
them  frequently  shall  find  the  gates  of  paradise  open. 

John  Newton  remarks,  ''Many,  perhaps  most  peo- 
ple, who  pray  in  public,  have  some  favorite  word  or 
expression  which   recurs  too  often  in  their  prayers, 


94  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

and  is  frequently  used  as  a  mere  expletive,  having  no 
necessary  connection  with  the  sense  of  what  they  are 
speaking.  The  most  disagreeable  of  these  is,  when 
the  name  of  the  blessed  God,  with  the  addition  of  per- 
haps one  or  more  epithets,  as  Great,  Glorious,  Holy, 
Almighty,  &c.,  is  introduced  so  often,  and  without  ne- 
cessity, as-  seems  neither  to  indicate  a  due  reverence 
in  the  person  who  uses  it,  nor  suited  to  excite  rever- 
ence in  those  who  hear.  I  will  not  say  that  this  is 
taking  the  name  of  God  in  vain  in  the  usual  sense  of 
the  phrase ;  it  is,  however,  a  great  impropriety,  and 
should  be  guarded  against.  It  would  be  well  if  they 
who  use  redundant  expressions  had  a  friend  to  give 
them  a  caution,  as  they  might,  with  a  little  care,  be  re- 
trenched ;  and  hardly  any  person  can  be  sensible  of 
the  little  peculiarities  he  may  inadvertently  adopt, 
unless  he  is  told  of  it." 

The  fact  and  form  of  address  imply  adoration.  This 
should  be  specified  as  a  distinct  department  of  prayer. 
Omission  here  is  the  only  defect  in  that  excellent  defi- 
nition given  by  the  Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines 
in  their  Shorter  Catechism.  What  is  plainer  than  that 
devotional  feelings  demand,  and  Scripture  examples 
authorize,  adoration  ?  When  the  true  worshipper  bows 
down  before  Jehovah,  he  feels  the  propriety  of  an  ex- 
ercise other  than  thanksgiving,  confession,  or  petition. 
As  he  approaches  the  Supreme  Being,  his  soul  is 
awed ;  a  dread  falls  upon  him  ;  the  divine  excellency 
makes  him  afraid.  His  feelings  find  utterance  in  a 
reverent  ascription  to  God  of  the  glory  due  unto  his 
name.  This  is  adoration,  though  the  word  is  often 
used  with  an  extent  of  meaning  equal  to  that  of  prayer 


ADDRESS    AND     ADORATION.  95 

itself.  To  adore  him  is  devoutly  to  acknowledge  his 
perfections,  to  speak  of  the  glorious  honor  of  his  ma- 
jesty, and  of  his  wondrous  works.  Viewed  as  an  out- 
ward act,  adoration  is  the  rendering  of  divine  honors 
to  God  in  prayer  ;  subjectively,  it  is  that  devout  hom- 
age of  heart  which  prompts  such  expressions.  The 
feelings  chiefly  involved  are  those  of  humility  and 
pious  admiration.  The  worshipper  contemplates  God 
as  he  is  in  himself,  or  as  seen  in  his  works  and  ways. 
Then,  if  ever,  are  the  emotions  of  sanctified  sublimity 
experienced  and  expressed.  Then  is  the  spirit  in  sym- 
pathy with  seraphim,  and  cries,  '^  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is 
the  Lord  of  hosts;  the  v/hole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory." 

This  exercise  more  truly  than  any  other  is  common 
to  men  and  &.ngels,  to  saints  on  earth  and  saints  in 
heaven.  Confession  ceases  at  death.  The  redeemed 
make  no  inte^'cessions  in  heaven.  But  adoration,  slight 
here,  profound  hereafter,  will  be  the  common  employ- 
ment of  the  whole  family  on  high.  "  They  sing  the 
song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  the  song  of  the 
Lamb,  saying.  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works. 
Lord  God  Almight}^ ;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou 
King  of  saints.  Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  0  Lord,  and 
glorify  thy  name  ?  for  thou  only  art  holy." 

Recurring  to  prayers  recorded  entire  or  in  part,  we 
find  that,  as  a  whole,  they  are  characterized  by  the  ele- 
ment of  adoration.  The  devotional  song  of  Moses, 
after  the  deliverance  at  the  Red  Sea,  is  occupied 
wholly  in  celebrating  the  wonders  of  the  Lord.  "  Thy 
right  hand,  0  Lord,  is  become  glorious  in  powder;  thy 
right  hand,  0  Lord,  hath  dashed  in  pieces  the  enemy. 
Who  is  like  unto  thee,  0  Lord,  among  the  gods  ?     Who 


96  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

is  like  unto  thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises, 
doing  wonders  ?  "  In  the  prayer  of  David  recorded  in 
Chronicles,  one-half  is  taken  up  with  elevated  ascrip- 
tions to  God :  ^'  Blessed  be  thou,  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
our  Father,  forever  and  ever.  Thine,  0  Lord,  is  the 
greatness  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  and  the  vic- 
tory, and  the  majesty ;  for  all  that  is  in  the  heaven 
and  in  the  earth  is  thine;  thine  is  the  kingdom,  0 
Lord,  and  thou  art  exalted  as  head  above  all.  Both 
riches  and  honor  come  of  thee,  and  thou  reignest  over 
all ;  and  in  thy  hand  is  power  and  might,  and  in  thy 
hand  it  is  to  make  great,  and  to  give  strength  unto  all. 
Now,  therefore,  our  God,  we  thank  thee  and  praise 
thy  glorious  name.'^  The  prayer  of  Solomon,  at  the 
dedication  of  the  temple,  opens  thus :  ^^  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  there  is  no  God  like  thee,  in  heaven  above,  or 
in  earth  beneath,  who  keepest  covenant  and  mercy 
with  thy  servants  that  walk  before  thee  with  all  their 
hearts."  Hezekiah  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  "  0 
Lord  of  hosts,  God  of  Israel,  that  dwellest  between 
the  cherubims,  thou  art  the  God,  even  thou  alone,  of 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth ;  thou  hast  made  heaven 
and  earth."  Similarly  did  Daniel  address  himself  to 
God.  The  introduction  to  our  Lord's  prayer  should 
be  noticed:  "Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  hal- 
lowed be  thy  name."  The  Psalms,  many  of  which  are 
only  rhythmical  prayers,  abound  in  the  language  of  de- 
vout homage  :  "  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul.  0  Lord 
my  God,  thou  art  very  great ;  thou  art  clothed  with 
honor  and  majesty,  who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as 
with  a  garment ;  who  stretchest  out  the  heavens  like 
a  curtain."      Again,  "I  will  extol   thee,  0    God   my 


CONFESSION.  97 

King ;  and  I  will  bless  thy  name  forever  and  ever. 
One  generation  shall  praise  thy  works  to  another,  and 
shall  declare  thy  mighty  acts.  They  shall  speak  of 
the  glory  of  thy  kingdom,  and  talk  of  thy  power.  Thy 
kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  thy  dominion 
endureth  throughout  all  generations." 

These  selections  suggest  an  evident  deficiency  of 
adoration  in  many  modern  prayers.  Must  it  not  be 
that  in  pulpit  instruction,  and  private  meditation,  there 
is  a  failure  to  dwell  suitably  on  God's  exalted  nature, 
and  his  glorious  government?  We  are  impatient  of 
delay  in  the  preliminaries  of  prostration  before  the 
footstool,  and  of  ascribing  to  him  the  glory  due  unto 
his  name.  In  our  selfish  and  irreverent  haste,  we  too 
often  hurry  on  to  petitions ;  but  will  such  disrespect 
to  the  Almighty  speed  the  answers  ?  "  0  come,  let  us 
worship  and  bow  down ;  let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord 
our  Maker." 


II.    CONFESSION. 

The  mercy-seat  Avas  not  set  up  as  a  court  of  inquiry. 
God  has  no  need  to  be  informed  what  is  in  the  heart 
of  man,  or  that  any  should  refresh  his  recollection. 
He  requires  an  acknowledgment  of  sin  as  the  ex- 
pression of  penitence,  without  which  no  prayer  can  be 
acceptable,  and  no  favor  can  be  granted.  This  is 
important  chiefl}^  from  its  relation  to  forgiveness.  "  If 
we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness."    Not  that  there  is  anything  meritorious  in  con- 


98  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

fession,  or  that  it  can  be  the  ground  of  pardon.  Ac- 
knowledgment of  a  debt  does  not  discharge  it;  the 
criminal's  disclosure  does  not  bring  him  acquittal  or 
reprieve.  Yet  no  confession,  no  remission.  Not  that 
acknowledgment  is  atonement,  but  a  condition  of  ac- 
ceptance it  is. 

Concealment  is  the  resort  of  guilt.  No  sooner  had 
our  first  parents  sinned  than  they  hid  themselves. 
Summoned  from  their  covert,  they  attempt  to  cast 
blame  on  their  insulted  Maker.  Thus  has  it  been 
with  their  apostate  descendants,  who  have  loved  dark- 
ness rather  than  light;  the  reason  they  come  not  to 
the  light  is  lest  their  deeds  should  be  reproved.  Is 
not  the  overcoming  of  this  criminal  reluctance  the 
first  indication  of  a  return  to  allegiance  ?  The  mo- 
ment a  sinner  betakes  himself  to  his  knees,  there  is 
encouragement;  the  very  attitude  is  the  symbol  of 
hope. 

Confession  to  God  is  of  course  meant.  The  Man  of 
Sin  erects  auricular  confession  into  a  sacrament,  and 
makes  a  belief  in  the  divine  authority  for  such  private 
communications  to  the  ear  of  a  priest  essential  to  salva- 
tion. One  canon  of  the  Council  of  Trent  reads  as  fol- 
lows :  ^'Whoever  shall  deny  that  sacramental  confession 
was  instituted  by  divine  command,  or  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  salvation,  or  shall  affirm  that  the  practice  of 
secretly  confessing  to  the  priest  —  as  it  has  ever  been 
observed  from  the  beginning  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  is  still  observed  —  is  foreign  to  the  institution 
and  command  of  Christ,  and  is  a  human  invention,  let 
him  be  accursed."  That  verily  is  to  sit  in  the  temple 
of  God,  showing  himself  that  he  is  God.     ^^  Against 


CONFESSION.  99 

thee,  0  God,  thee  only  have  I  sinned,"  cries  every  one 
taught  from  his  Word ;  to  thee,  thee  only  will  I  make 
confession. 

It  should  be  full.  Not  that  in  every  prayer  a 
large  space  should  be  allotted  to  it,  or  that  uniform- 
ly, when  sins  are  acknowledged,  the  same  rehearsal 
should  be  gone  through  with.  It  is  safe,  however,  to 
say  that  usually  confession  is  too  limited.  There  is 
too  much  haste  to  get  on  to  the  more  agreeable  exer- 
cise of  petition.  This  reluctance  to  pause  and  go 
thoroughly  into  the  matter  is  not  unnatural.  But  the 
true  suppliant  says,  as  did  David,  ^^  Mine  iniquity  is 
great ;  "  he  has  no  disposition  to  withhold  or  disguise 
anything.  Assured  that  the  eye  of  God  has  read 
every  thought  and  witnessed  every  act,  the  humble 
soul  pours  forth  acknowledgments  of  guilt,  and  inten- 
tionally suppresses  nothing.  Original  sin  is  confessed  : 
"  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  "  and  actual  sins: 
''I  acknowledge  my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is  ever 
before  me."  Secret  as  well  as  open  sins  are  con- 
fessed :  '^  Cleanse  thou  me  from  secret  faults ;  "  and 
social  as  well  as  personal  sins  :  "  Since  the  days  of  our 
fathers  we  have  been  in  a  great  trespass  unto  this 
day."  So,  too,  sins  of  neglect, — neglect  to  comply  with 
the  suggestions  of  God's  providence  and  Spirit ;  neg- 
lect to  do  good  as  there  has  been  opportunity ;  neg- 
lect to  warn  the  ungodly,  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to 
sympathize  with  the  afflicted.  Positive  sins  are  ac- 
knowledged :  violations  of  the  several  commandments ; 
abuse  of  God's  benefits  ;  want  of  faith  in  his  prom- 
ises ;  undervaluing  of  his  ordinances  ;  a  self-righteous 
spirit,  and  a   spirit   of  worldliness.     Looking  at  his 


100  •  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

heart  and  life,  the  penitent  finds  countless  idle  words 
and  sinful  acts.  Envy  has  arisen  one  moment,  and 
jealousy  the  next.  Covetous  desires  have  flowed 
in  rapid  succession  ;  while  murmurings  at  the  allot- 
ments of  God's  providence  are  frequent.  Ill-will,  in 
the  form  of  petulance  or  revenge,  has  been  a  habit, 
pride  almost  uninterrupted.  And  then  the  want  of 
due  love  to  God,  gratitude  to  him,  adoration  of  him ; 
the  want  of  suitable  attachment  to  Christ  and  zeal  in 
his  cause.  But  where  would  an  exhaustive  enumera- 
tion end  ?  "  Mine  iniquities  have  taken  hold  upon  me, 
so  that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up ;  they  are  more  than 
the  hairs  of  my  head  ;  therefore  my  heart  faileth  me." 

In  making  a  full  acknowledgment,  one  will  consider 
the  aggravating  circumstances  of  his  sins.  The  com- 
mon estimate  is  not  the  standard  by  which  a  true  pen- 
itent judges  himself.  Guilt  is  not  graduated  by  public 
opinion.  Everything  is  brought  to  the  test  of  divine 
requirement.  Viewed  in  the  light  of  a  law  which 
enjoins  perfect  conformity ;  viewed  in  the  radiance  of 
God's  glory,  his  own  conduct  appears  vile  to  the  last 
degree,  and  he  cries  out,  "  Mine  iniquities  have  gone 
over  my  head ;  as  a  heavy  burden,  they  are  too  heavy 
for  me." 

Confession,  to  be  satisfactory,  must  be  free.  Pha- 
raoh was  scourged  into  his  acknowledgment :  "  I  have 
sinned ; "  and  often  does  some  loss  or  alarm  wrmg  out 
a  similar  exclamation.  But  if  an  offender  expects 
that  his  language  of  contrition  will  be  accepted,  it 
must  be  unconstrained.  Does  the  true  penitent  re- 
quire to  be  urged  to  this  duty?  Quite  different  is 
his  position  from  that  of  the    hardened  culprit  after 


CONFESSION.  101 

witnesses  have  convicted  him  ;  his  are  not  such  expres- 
sions as  the  dread  of  impending  doom  may  extort.  His 
avowal  is  spontaneous.  "  Resolved,"  wrote  President 
Edwards,  at  twenty  years  of  age,  —  "  Resolved,  Yeiy 
much  to  exercise  myself  in  this  all  my  life  long,  viz. : 
With  the  greatest  openness  of  Avhich  I  am  capable,  to 
declare  my  ways  to  God,  and  lay  open  my  soul  to  him, 
all  my  sins,  temptations,  difficulties,  sorrows,  fears, 
hopes,  desires,  and  everything,  and  every  circum- 
stance." 

Confession  will  be  in  a  measure  specific.  The  de- 
gree to  which  it  may  be  suitably  so  depends  in  a 
great  measure  upon  the  circumstances  of  time  and 
place.  More  of  particularity  is  of  course  admissible 
in  the  private  than  in  the  public  sanctuary.  Mere 
general  acknovvdedgments  are  insufficient  at  any  time, 
unless  thoughts  are  more  definite  than  the  language. 
Confession  always  contemplates  reform ;  but  no  one  re- 
forms in  general,  without  reforming  in  particular 
respects.  Confession  also  has  a  reflex  influence;  it 
was  designed  and  is  suited  to  deepen  the  sense  of 
guilt.  Generalized  and  abstract  language  is  not  that 
which  moves  the  feelings;  something  definite  is  re- 
quired. Besetting  sins  should  be  distinctly  acknowl- 
edged, and  those  not  habitual,  which  are  specially 
aggravated.  Paul  confessed,  not  simply  that  he  was 
the  chief  of  sinners,  but  that  he  was  a  blasphemer  and 
persecutor ;  and  not  merely  that,  but  that  he  had  per- 
secuted behevers  unto  death,  binding  and  delivering 
into  prisons  both  men  and  women  ;  nor  yet  that  alone, 
but  "  when  the  blood  of  the  martyr  Stephen  was  shed, 

9* 


102  THE    MEBCY-SEAT. 

I  also  was  standing  by,  and  consented  unto  his  death, 
and  kept  the  raiment  of  them  that  slew  him.'^ 

The  most  important  element  is  penitential  sorrow. 
The  accomplice  in  a  capital  crime  may  turn  evidence 
for  the  State,  and  thus  screen  himself  from  punish- 
ment ;  but  in  acceptable  confession  to  God,  escape  is 
not  the  motive.  To  every  indictment  of  conscience 
the  convicted  sinner  pleads  guilty;  he  takes  God's 
part  against  himself  There  are  two  kinds  of  sorrow 
for  sin ;  the  one  divine  as  to  its  origin,  the  other  nat- 
ural. The  one  springs  from  love  to  God,  the  other  from 
self-love  ;  the  former  is  awakened  by  a  view  of  sin  as 
intrinsically  wrong ;  the  other  by  a  view  of  it  as  inter- 
fering with  self-interest.  The  penitent  sinner  alone 
feels  the  first ;  the  mere  man  feels  the  other.  Godly 
sorrow,  save  its  bittorness,  may  be  known  in  heaven ; 
the  sorrow  which  worketh  death  is  consummated  in 
hell.  Ahab  humbled  himself,  and  made  acknowledg- 
ments ;  yet  the  proof  of  penitence  is  wanting.  Judas 
regretted  his  crime  profoundly,  and  confessed  that  he 
had  sinned ;  yet  was  he  the  son  of  perdition,  and  went 
to  his  own  place. 

A  total  disregard  of  ourselves  is  neither  required, 
nor  practicable ;  but  is  there  not  a  clear  difference 
between  an  anxiety  that  begins,  centres,  and  termi- 
nates in  a  regard  to  personal  happiness,  and  one  which 
is  chiefly  concerned  with  the  honor  due  to  God  ?  The 
former  proceeds  from  a  consideration  of  what  is  con- 
venient, the  latter  from  a  consideration  of  .what  is 
right.  One  is  satisfied  only  when  self  is  safe,  the 
other  only  when  God  is  glorified. 

Humility  as  opposed  to  all  ostentation  is   needful. 


CONFESSION.  103 

We  sometimes  hear  —  deplorable  vanity!  —  a  person 
ambitiously  rehearsing  his  former  misdeeds,  narrating 
with  a  freedom  uncalled  for,  his  impiety,  or  his  daring 
irregularities.  What  is  implied  ?  Is  not  the  design,  by 
contrast,  to  exalt  present  excellence  ?  Is  it  anything 
more  or  less  than  an  obhque  method  of  self-praise  ? 
Is  it  not  equivalent  to  saying,  You  see  what  a  person 
of  spirit  I  was ;  you  see  how  eminent  I  was  in  that 
way ;  and  you  see  how  surprising  a  change  has  taken 
place?  Something  hke  this  may  at  times  be  heard 
under  the  sacred  name  of  prayer ;  but  a  contrite  sup- 
pliant confesses  his  sin  with  unfeigned  mortification. 
He  never  plumes  himself  on  past  iniquities.  He  does 
not  exaggerate.  When  most  thoroughly  penetrated 
with  a  sense  of  guilt,  the  mourning  soul  feels  as  if  no 
language  could  express  the  enormity  of  its  sins. 
Hence,  by  a  kind  of  unconscious  hypocrisy,  the  man 
whose  heart  is  unmoved,  or  but  faintly  moved,  will 
undertake  to  impose  upon  himself  and  others  by  ex- 
travagant confessions  ;  by  recounting  forms  or  degrees 
of  oifence,  which  are  unreal  or  at  least  unfelt.  But 
devout  honesty  characterizes  acceptable  confession. 

And  whose  sins  does  the  suppliant  speak  of?  First 
of  all,  such  as  are  personal.  The  Pharisee,  having, 
as  he  imagined,  no  offences  of  his  own,  began  to  con- 
fess those  of  others.  Self-righteousness  is  as  eagle- 
eyed  when  looking  abroad,  as  it  is  blind  when  looking 
within. 

True  penitence  turns  an  eye  upon  the  inner  man, 
and  fastens  it  there  in  sorrowful  gaze.  Particularly 
is  this  the  case  in  secret  devotion.  In  social  prayer, 
the  mention  of  sins  is  necessarily,  for  the  most  part, 


104  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

less  Specific,  and  less  personal.  Confession,  however, 
must  have  its  place.  Ezra  closed  his  recorded  prayer 
with  these  words :  "  0  Lord  God  of  Israel,  thou  art 
righteous;  behold  we  are  before  thee  in  our  tres- 
passes; for  we  cannot  stand  before  thee  because  of 
this."  At  the  time  when  Nehemiah  instituted  a  re- 
form, the  Levites  acknowledged:  '^We  have  done 
wickedly;  neither  have  our  kings,  our  princes,  out 
priests,  nor  our  fathers  kept  thy  law,  nor  hearkened 
unto  thy  commandments  and  thy  testimonies,  where- 
with thou  didst  testify  against  them."  Jeremiah  was 
directed  to  say,  "  We  acknowledge,  0  Lord,  our  wick- 
edness, and  the  iniquity  of  our  fathers ;  for  we  have 
sinned  against  thee." 

The  acknowledgment  of  social  offences  is  also  ap- 
propriate in  secret  prayer.  Common  responsibilities 
and  common  delinquencies  render  it  the  duty  of  indi- 
viduals, not  only  in  their  associated,  but  in  their  retired 
addresses  to  God,  to  make  confession  as  members  of 
the  community,  sacred  or  civil,  to  which  they  belong. 
Thus  Daniel,  in  his  season  of  private  fasting  and  hu- 
miliation: "We  have  sinned  and  committed  iniquity, 
and  have  done  wickedly,  and  have  rebelled."  Yet 
particular  care  is  requisite  in  this  exercise,  that  the 
mind  be  not  fixed  too  exclusively  upon  the  sins  of 
others;  that  the  individual  be  not  lost  in  the  mass, 
and  pharisaic  self-complacency  supplant  a  genuine  self- 
abasement. 


THANKSGIVING.  105 


m.    THANKSGIVING. 


Prayer  is  often  too  restricted  in  its  range  ;  it  is 
made  practically  synonymous  with  petition.  Should 
not  thanksgiving  have  a  large  place  ?  Do  the  count- 
less mercies  of  our  heavenly  Father  deserve  no  men- 
tion when  we  come  before  him  ?  Shall  there  be  no 
notice  of  answers  received  ?  Prayer  is  spiritual  respi- 
ration ;  with  petition  it  inhales  refreshment ;  in  thanks- 
giving it  breathes  back  an  acknowledgment ;  and  if 
the  hidden  life  is  well  regulated,  the  one  will  seem  as 
natural  and  indispensable  as  the  other. 

This  exercise  involves  gratitude,  the  feeling  due 
from  recipient  to  benefactor ;  thanksgiving  is  the  ex- 
pression of  that  feeling.  There  may  be  abundance  of 
the  latter,  a  fulness  of  thanks,  and  not  a  particle  of 
genuine  gratitude.  The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed 
thus  with  himself:  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as 
other  men  are  ; "  but  acceptable  thanksgiving  is  the 
homage  of  humility,  the  glad  mention  of  divine  mer- 
cies, the  spontaneous  overflow  of  a  contrite  and  affec- 
tionate heart. 

It  is  not  a  compensatory  act.  Though  a  reasonable 
service,  it  is  not  a  reward ;  and  though  not  adequate, 
it  is  acceptable.  Mercenary  views  must,  of  course,  be 
excluded.  God  does  not  bestow  his  bounties  for  the 
sake  of  a  recompense ;  nor  can  any  hypocritical  profes- 
sion of  gratitude  avail  as  a  bribe  to  secure  more. 
The  remark  of  Seneca,  in  regard  to  the  interchange 
of  kind  ofEces  between  man  and  man,  applies  here  : 
"  It  is  not  our  business  to  angle  with  one  benefit  for 


106  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

another,  or  by  bestowing  a  little  to  get  more  ;  but  be- 
cause I  ought  to  do  it,  and  that  to  such  a  degree  that, 
if  I  could  not  return  a  benefit  without  being  suspected 
of  doing  an  injury,  yet,  in  despite  of  infamy  itself,  I 
would  be  grateful.'' 

The  main  difi*erence  between  adoration  and  thanks- 
giving is,  that  adoration  contemplates  all  the  attri- 
butes of  God  ;  thanksgiving  his  goodness  ;  the  former 
admires  the  divine  perfections  in  themselves  consid- 
ered ;  the  latter  dwells  upon  the  divine  benevolence 
as  manifested  in  acts  of  kindness. 

Gratitude  is  as  rare  as  it  is  noble.  All  eulogize  it ; 
few  deserve  to  be  eulogized  for  it.  Scarcely  a  passion 
or  vice  can  be  named  in  which  men  have  not  gloried  ; 
but  who  ever  boasted  of  being  ungrateful  ?  Yet  the 
mass  of  mankind  devour  mercies  ;  like  the  grave,  they 
are  continually  receiving,  but  never  giving. 

In  all  social  devotions  thanksgiving  should  form  a 
part.  "  Enter  into  His  gates  with  thanksgiving."  Not 
only  on  the  stated  anniversary,  or  some  other  day  set 
apart  for  praise,  but  from  week  to  week,  in  their  reli- 
gious convocations,  should  every  community  unite  in 
warm  expressions  of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God. 

Should  not  the  same  have  a  place  in  private  prayer  ? 
Never  does  the  season  for  entering  the  closet  return 
without  bringing  with  it  some  call  for  grateful  ack- 
nowledgment. Ordinarily,  it  is  common  favors  only 
for  which  public  thanks  can  be  rendered.  Individual 
benefits  which  most  deeply  affect  the  heart  require 
that  specific  mention  which  is  hardly  proper  elsewhere 
than  in  the  closet,  or  at  the  domestic  altar. 

Divine  favors  may  be  classified  according  to  their 


THANKSGIVING.  107 

own  nature,  and  also  according  to  their  relation  to  the 
one  giving  thanks.  In  the  last  respect  some  are  per- 
sonal. They  come  with  an  express  designation  from 
our  benignant  Father.  They  call  for  distinct  individ- 
ual acknowledgment  as  much  as  if  conferred  exclu- 
sively upon  one. 

Some  benefits  are  relative.  They  come  primarily  to 
others ;  but,  owing  to  our  connection  with  the  recipi- 
ents, or  our  interest  in  them,  we  are  constrained  to 
render  thanks  to  the  common  Benefactor.  These  indi- 
rect calls  for  thankfulness  are  often  felt  to  be  the  most 
urgent  of  all,  and  this  social  gratitude  is  of  the  most 
amiable  and  commanding  character.  The  introduction 
to  nearly  all  of  Paul's  epistles  illustrates  it.  To  the 
Romans  he  wrote :  "  First,  I  thank  my  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  for  you  all,  that  your  faith  is  spoken  of 
throughout  the  whole  world  ;  "  to  the  Corinthians  :  "  I 
thank  my  God  always  on  your  behalf,  for  the  grace  of 
God  which  is  given  you  by  Jesus  Christ ; "  to  the 
Ephesians:  "Wherefore  I,  also,  after  I  heard  of  your 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  and  love  unto  all  the  saints, 
cease  not  to  give  thanks  for  you  ; "  and  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians :  "  For  this  cause,  also,  we  thank  God,  without 
ceasing,  because  when  ye  received  the  word  of  God, 
wliich  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it  not  as  the  word 
of  men,  but  as  it  is  in  truth  the  word  of  God."  This 
feeling  is  akin  to  that  of  angels  who  rejoice  over  spir- 
itual achievements  in  our  world ;  their  gratitude  being 
not  so  much  for  personal  benefits  as  for  the  display  of 
God's  benevolence  to  others. 

Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift !  First 
of  all  let  us  cry,  and  let  it  remain  the  burden  of  our 


108  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

souls,  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift  I 
This  is  the  foundation,  the  purchase  of  all  the  rest.  It 
includes,  it  transcends  ail  others.  And  what  is  it? 
Not  the  half  of  Herod's  kingdom,  not  a  hemisphere, 
not  a  world ;  but  the  Son  of  God,  the  Maker  of  all 
things,  in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head bodily.  The  preparations  of  four  thousand  years 
were  necessary  for  its  advent ;  it  came  from  an  in- 
sulted Sovereign  to  his  offending  subjects.  Unspeak- 
able gift !  It  was  Deity  unfolding  the  resources  of 
love  to  us.  It  was  infinite  compassion  taking  our 
nature,  revealing  and  executing  what  had  been  de- 
signed for  us  from  eternity.  By  virtue  of  that,  bond- 
men of  sin  and  Satan  become  freemen  of  the  Lord ; 
heirs  of  perdition  become  heirs  of  glory;  the  wretched, 
poor,  and  miserable,  become  kings  and  priests  unto 
God. 

Thanks  be  unto  God !  Thanks  in  every  prayer  that 
ascends !  Thanks  that  from  the  guilt,  ruin,  and  deg- 
radation of  the  fall,  helpless  apostates  may  be  trans- 
lated into  the  kingdom  of  light !  God  has  done  wor- 
thily of  himself,  worthily  of  his  infinite  resources  of 
wisdom  and  love.  Let  thanks  be  repeated  with  every 
breath  breathed  heavenward.  Eternity  will  not  be 
long  enough  to  finish  ascriptions  of  praise  to  him  for 
his  unspeakable  gift. 

Alas  that  any  should  deal  always  in  devotional  la- 
mentations, and  come  to  the  throne  with  nothing  but 
petitions  and  remonstrances.  Intermingle  the  incense 
of  gratitude.  When  in  your  daily  intercourse  you 
speak  of  trials,  why  go  into  such  painful  particularity 
of  detail,  but,  when  you  come  to  speak  of  God's  mer- 


THANKSGIVING.  109 

cies,  have  none  but  the  most  brief  and  comprehensive 
acknowledgments  ?  Are  the  divine  favors  less  nu- 
merous than  your  wants  ?  Self-love  may  lead  to  suppli- 
cation; love  to  God  leads  to  thanksgiving.  Cultivate 
that  love.  Ponder  on  the  expressions  of  his  goodness. 
As  many  moments  of  quiet  rest  as  you  enjoy,  as  many 
morsels  of  wholesome  food  as  you  receive,  as  many 
kind  words  of  friends  as  you  hear,  so  many  occasions 
of  thanksgiving  have  you.  Not  a  promise,  not  a  pre- 
cept of  Holy  Writ  is  there  but  what  deserves  grati- 
tude. 

The  birds  are  up  betimes  to  chant  their  praises ; 
shall  they  not  shame  us  ?  The  early  Christians  had 
their  Hymnos  antelucanos,  —  hymns  before  daybreak. 
The  very  name  of  the  pious  and  persecuted  Lollards 
denotes  a  "people  that  sing  praises."  Are  we  not 
called  upon  to  be  more  abundant  in  this  holy  recrea- 
tion? What  a  cheerful  frame  does  it  introduce  into 
the  soul !  What  a  savor  of  heaven  does  it  leave  behind 
it !  But  when  drought  or  mildew  comes ;  when  the 
whirlwind  or  earthquake  makes  us  tremble  ;  when  the 
pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  the  destruc- 
tion that  wasteth  at  noonday,  invades  our  dwelling ; 
when  war  with  its  manifold  evils  scourges  us;  when 
the  outrage  and  misery  of  a  whole  distracted  world 
assail  our  ears ;  when  fierce  disease  or  the  strong 
hand  of  violence  takes  hold  of  our  persons,  is  there  a 
call  then  to  render  thanks  ?  "  Therefore  I  take 
pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in  necessities,  in 
persecutions,  in  distresses  for  Christ's  sake ;  for  when 
I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong."  "  In  everything  give 
thanks ;  for  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  con- 


110  THE    MERCY- SEAT. 

cerning  you."  There  is  probably  more  genuine  grati- 
tude, more  sincere  thanksgiving  in  times  of  trial  than 
at  any  other  time.  If  at  this  moment  we  were  called 
upon  to  name  that  for  which,  next  to  what  has  been 
specially  dwelt  upon,  ardent  praise  ought  to  ascend 
to  God,  what  should  we  mention  ?  Shall  we  lift  up  the 
voice  of  thanksgiving  to  him  because  ours  is  a  land 
of  liberty  and  plenty  ?  Shall  we  give  thanks  for  the 
glow  of  health,  and  for  the  paradise  of  our  homes  ? 
Yes,  we  will.  But  Faith  stops  not  here.  She  bids  us 
look  at  the  dark  clouds  that  sometimes  gather  over  us, 
and  asks  if  there  is  no  blessing  in  their  contents?  She 
points  to  our  riches  that  have  made  to  themselves 
wings,  and  as  an  eagle  are  flying  away,  and  asks  if,  in 
the  strong  sunlight  of  heaven,  they  do  not  look  more 
golden  than  ever  ?  She  takes  us  within-doors  to  look 
upon  our  diminished  family  circles ;  and  there,  in  the 
midst  of  tears  and  swelling  hearts,  bids  us  say  cheer- 
fully, ^^  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

God  works  by  paradoxes.  When  least  apparent, 
there  is  the  most  real  reason  for  saying.  Thy  will  be 
done.  Trials  are  his  medicine  for  the  soul.  This  is 
his  affectionate  discipline  of  such  as  are  children. 
What  if  pain  and  privation  be  extreme;  there  is  a 
kind  severity  in  them.  Was  ever  dross  purged  away 
save  by  fire  ?  What  servants  of  the  Most  High  are 
ever  cast  into  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  without  find- 
ing one  like  the  Son  of  God  present  with  them  ?  Who 
ever  sat  down  weary  and  famished  without  finding  a 
fountain  springing  up  in  the  wilderness?  With  a 
proper  sense  of  God's  presence,  the  wreck  of  nervous 


THANKSGIVING.  Ill 

derangement,  and  the  tortures  of  martyrdom,  may 
extort  only  devout  thanksgiving.  When  the  proconsul 
gave  sentence,  "  Let  Cyprian  be  beheaded,"  "  God 
be  praised  !  "  replied  the  martyr.  Ridley  at  the  stake 
lifts  his  hands  toward  heaven  and  prays :  '^  0  heav- 
enly Father,  I  give  thee  most  hearty  thanks  that  thou 
hast  called  me  to  be  a  professor  of  thee,  even  unto 
death." 

On  the  evening  of  the  last  memorable  passover, 
before  breaking  the  bread,  and  before  presenting  the 
cup,  Christ  gave  thanks.  Was  he  ignorant  of  the 
coming  events  of  that  nig-ht,  and  of  the  day  following? 
Did  he  know  who  was  to  betray  him?  Had  he  not 
already  bidden  him  do  quickly  what  he  w^as  to  do  ? 
Had  he  not  yet  formed  the  purpose  to  go  out,  so  soon 
as  they  should  sing  a  hymn,  pass  the  brook  Kedron, 
and  enter  Gethsemane  ?  Had  he  no  presentiment  of 
his  exceeding  sorrow,  his  sore  amazement  there  ? 
Was  he  unaware  of  what  would  take  place  before 
Caiaphas,  before  Pilate,  before  Herod  ?  Had  he  no  in- 
timation of  the  scene  at  Golgotha  ? 

He  knew  it  all.  The  traitor's  kiss,  the  scourging, 
the  thorns,  the  weight  of  the  cross,  the  piercing  nails 
were  already  felt.  Distinctly  did  he  see  his  disciples 
forsake  him,  and  his  own  Heavenly  Father  abandon 
him  to  the  power  of  darkness.  Yet  he  gives  thanks ; 
foreseeing  every  insult,  every  pang,  he  gives  thanks. 
In  full  view  of  those  wonders  which  unsettled  the 
invisible  world  and  darkened  the  heavens,  he  once 
and  again  gives  thanks.  Through  that  scene,  and 
beyond  it,  he  looks  at  the  triumphs  of  his  gospel  to 
the  end  of  time ;  backward  and  upward  he  looks  at 


112  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

the  army  of  saints  already  glorified,  and  therefore 
gives  thanks.  The  present  progress  of  his  kingdom 
in  ^^  souls  renewed  and  sins  forgiven/'  on  every  conti- 
nent and  many  islands  of  the  sea,  he  sui'veys,  and 
gives  thanks.  The  omniscient  Son  of  God  knows  that 
by  his  conquest  of  the  principalities  of  darkness,  by 
the  wonder  and  joy  awakened  among  holy  angels,  and 
by  the  redemption  from  sin  and  misery  of  so  many 
human  millions,  unspeakable  glory  will  accrue  to  the 
triune  God  and  his  government,  and  therefore  gives 
thanks.  May  not  the  disciple,  in  sacred  sympathy 
with  his  Lord,  lift  his  thoughts  above  surrounding 
scenes  ?  Though  in  the  midst  of  trials,  though  step- 
ping into  the  waters  of  Jordan,  let  him  anticipate  the 
praises  that,  on  the  other  side,  shall  resound,  thi'ough 
eternity. 


IV.     HALLELUJAH  TICTOREES. 

Praise  to  God  is  the  crown-jewel  of  prayer.  To 
confess  before  him  is  permitted,  for  his  forgiving 
mercy  is  thus  honored ;  to  ask  favors  is  encouraged, 
for  his  munificemce  shows  itself;  but  devoutly  to  extol 
his  name  is  peculiarly  pleasing,  for  then  all  his  attri- 
butes are  acknowledged,  and  in  a  way  least  liable  to 
the  intermingling  of  any  motive  that  shall  mar  the  ser- 
vice. AVas  the  cry  of  the  whole  ten  lepers,  "  Jesus, 
Master,  have  mercy  on  us,"  so  acceptable  as  the  testi- 
mony of  that  one  from  among  them  who  "  turned  back, 
and  with  a  loud  voice  glorified  God,  and  fell  down  at 
Jesus'  feet,  giving  him  thanks,  and  he  was  a  Samar- 


HALLELUJAH    VICTORIES.  113 

itan"?  ^^Wboso  offereth  praise,  glorifieth  me.''  In 
view  of  this  noble  employment,  David  calls  his  tongue 
Ms  glory.  It  was  with  a  hallelujah  that'  the  angelic 
choir  once  sang  in  our  atmosphere,  '^  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest."  Their  occupation  is  the  same  in  heaven, 
where  "they  rest  not  day  nor  night,  saying.  Holy, 
holy,  holy.  Lord  God  Almighty." 

There  are  no  circumstances  or  seasons  when  this 
celestial  exercise  is  out  of  place.  The  eve  of  battle 
forms  no  exception.  Never  was  a  choir  called  upon  at 
a  juncture  more  appropriate  than  when  Jehoshaphat 
"appointed  singers  unto  the  Lord,  and  that  should 
praise  the  beauty  of  holiness  as  they  went  out  before 
the  army,  and  to  say.  Praise  the  Lord,  for  his  mercy 
enduTeth  forever."  To  do  this  at  such  a  time  implies 
the  highest  exercise  of  that  faith  which  is  the  peculiar 
gift  of  God.  The  very  want  of  faith  may  drive  a  man 
to  uttering  petitions,  while  grief  or  fear  would  inca- 
pacitate him  for  adoration.  It  was  a  beautiful  word 
that  the  suffering  little  son  of  Legh  Richmond  said  to 
his  father :  "  I  cannot  pray  now,  I  am  so  very  ill ;  but 
I  have  been  praising."  It  was  the  spontaneous  out- 
burst of  a  highly-sanctified  heart,  when  Lady  Colqu- 
houn,  on  learning  the  death  of  her  sister,  exclaimed, 
"  Hosanna  !  Hosanna  in  the  highest !  I  have  heard 
that  my  beloved  Hannah  is  in  glory  1  What  cause  for 
praise ! "  The  peculiar  efficacy  of  prayer  is  concen- 
trated in  holy  ascriptions.  Let  pious  men  go  to  the 
front,  extolling  the  beauty  of  holiness,  profoundly  trust- 
ful and  joyful,  and  raising  the  doxology,  "  Praise  the 
Lord,  for  his  mercy  endureth  forever,"  and  if  any 
address  to  Heaven  can  bring  victory,  that  will. 

10* 


114  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

Devout  praise  reacts  happily  on  the  hearts  of  an 
army  and  community.  Such  an  exercise  is  the  best 
school  of  ccturage  and  energy.  Nothing  so  tires  out 
the  heart  and  makes  all  the  sinews  flaccid  as  despon- 
dency and  complaining.  A  gloomy  apprehension  is 
liable,  like  an  infectious  disease,  to  propagate  itself. 
Make  up  the  mind  that  you  are  going  to  ruin,  and  you 
will  go  ;  indeed,  you  are  there  already,  and  are  draw- 
ing others  in  the  same  direction.  But  what  a  misera- 
ble existence  it  is  to  go  through  life  or  a  campaign 
foretelling  and  inviting  disaster.  The  Russian  sol- 
dier has  little  enthusiasm  ;  his  cheer  is  a  mere  whine. 
A  hopeful  habit,  the  habit  of  looking  on  the  bright 
side  of  things,  and  of  gladly  recognizing  God's  good 
hand  and  his  sovereign  right,  is  worth  everything  in 
peace  or  in  war.  A  determined  cheerfulness  of  this 
sort  is  the  basis  of  reliable  bravery  and  endurance. 
The  efficient  workers  and  fighters  of  the  human  race 
have  not  been  the  peevish  and  sullen,  but  the  buoy- 
ant, the  "  inveterate  hopers."  Nothing  but  habitual, 
grateful  recognition  of  God's  providence  can  be  relied 
upon  to  carry  a  person  or  people  through  the  exigen- 
cies of  war;  and  there  is  nothing  like  heartfelt,  audible 
praise,  to  keep  up  that  sense  of  dependence  as  an 
effective  element  of  power.  So  long  as  men  can  sing, 
they  will  attempt  or  endure  anything. 

Praise,  under  such  circumstances,  has  great  effect 
upon  the  opposing  party.  When  Jehoshaphat  and  the 
men  of  Judah  marched  out  against  the  confederates  at 
Hazazon-tamar,  he  "  appointed  singers  unto  the  Lord, 
and  that  should  praise  the  beauty  of  holiness  as  they 
went  out  before  the  army,  and  to  say,  Praise  the  Lord, 


HALLELUJAH    VICTOEIES.  115 

for  his  mercj  endureth  forever."  Their  hallelujahs 
preceded  the  discomfiture  of  their  enemies.  There  is 
wonderful  strategic  power  in  devout  praise.  With 
what  strange  awe  must  the  children  of  Moab,  Ammon, 
and  Mount  Seir,  have  listened  to  Judean  singers  as 
their  notes  rang  through  the  wilderness  of  Tekoa, 
rolled  down  the  valley  of  Engedi,  and  were  echoed 
from  the  cliff  of  Ziz  !  That  chorus  carried  more  alarm 
than  the  fiercest  onset  of  archers  or  spearmen  could 
have  done.  It  convinced  the  marauding  host  that  Je- 
hoshaphat  and  his  men  felt  strong  in  the  Lord,  and 
that  the  Grod  of  heaven  and  earth  was  on  their  side. 
The  veterans  of  Moab  and  Ammon  were  ready  to  give 
battle  to  any  common  foe,  but  what  could  they  make  of 
such  tactics,  —  "the  praises  of  God  in  their  mouth, 
and  a  two-edged  sword  in  their  hand  !  "  To  have  es- 
pied the  hosts  of  Judah  on  their  knees  in  supplication, 
would  have  produced  far  less  eff'ect.  Men  composed 
and  confiding  enough  to  sing  when  drawn  up  in  battle- 
array,  give  assurance  of  victory.  In  the  fifth  century, 
when  the  Picts  and  Saxons  made  an  attack  on  the  army 
of  Britons,  the  latter,  being  unarmed,  were  ordered  to 
shout  Alleluia  thi'ee  times.  At  this  sound  the  enemy 
fled  in  amazement,  leaving  the  Britons  masters  of  the 
field.  Was  not  the  battle-song  of  Gustavus  Adolphus 
worth  a  brigade  to  him  ?  If  men  will  only  trust  in 
Grod,  and  extol  him,  he  will  not  leave  them  without 
fresh  occasion  for  raising  their  doxologies.  The  most 
signal  deliverances  on  record  have  been  those  where 
men  were  least  entitled  to  credit;  where  they  Avere 
witnesses  rather  than  instruments  of  triumph.  Devout 
praise  threw  open  the  Philippian  jail  at  midnight ;  it 


116  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

overwhelmed  the  confederates  at  Engedi ;  it  has  made 
many  another  vaUey  a  Berachah,  —  the  Valley  of  Bless- 
ing to  tills  day. 

There  are  not  a  few  —  and  they  may  be  fomad  in 
every  party — who  indulge  habitually  in  complaining 
and  foreboding.  Accordmg  to  their  estimation  every 
contractor  is  a  rogue,  every  unsuccessful  officer  a 
traitor,  and  all  evil  tidings  verities.  Some  would 
almost  rather  see  failure  than  lose  the  character  of 
true  prophets,  though  their  predictions  belong  to  one 
book  only,  —  that  of  Lamentations.  It  is  noteworthy, 
that  the  first  specific  bird  mentioned  in  the  Bible 
ghould  be  the  raven ;  and  that  the  crow  family,  the 
common  crow  and  the  carrion  crow,  should  be  found 
in  aU  countries.  They  are  far  more  numerous  and 
widely-dispersed  than  the  dove.  They  do  not  appre- 
ciate the  ark ;  they  prefer  to  roam  about  over  the  dark 
waters  of  a  drowned  world. 

The  way  to  make  impossibilities  is  to  fear  them ;  for 
despondency  unnerves ;  and  the  natural  tendency  of 
dejection  is  to  fulfil  its  own  doleful  vaticmations. 
When  was  gTumbling  ever  known  to  win  a  victory,  or 
correct  an  evil?  What  administi'ation,  or  campaign, 
or  general,  was  ever  helped  by  election  croaking  and 
newspaper  whining  ?  Borrowing  is  usually  poor  busi- 
ness, but  borrowing  trouble  the  most  miserable  of  all 
occupations.  It  is  neither  to  be  demanded  of  an  army 
that  it  cross  the  bridge  before  reaching  it,  nor  to  be 
sure  that  when  they  come  to  it  thej^  will  find  it  burned, 
and  that  so  they  do  nothing.  It  is  a  sad  perversion  of 
the  musical  powers  of  a  band  to  learn  nothing  and 
play  nothing  but  a  retreat. 


HALLELUJAH    VICTORIES.  117 

Even  if  one  is  melancholy  by  nature,  he  is  bound  to 
be  cheerful  on  principle.  Neither  Scripture  nor  com- 
mon sense  confer  the  right  to  worry  about  what  can- 
not be  helped,  or  what  can  be  helped.  "Praise  ye  the 
Lord." 


TI 


QUALITIES    OF   PRAYER 


I.     HUMILITY   AND   DEPENDENCE. 

'HAT  is  a  devotional  spirit?  That 
state  of  the  heart  which  is  accept- 
able to  God  in  prayer,  which  leads  to 
the  worshipping  of  him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  The  expression  also  im- 
plies such  a  love  of  the  duty  as 
prompts  its  frequent  performance. 
It  is  not  a  simple  element  like  faith 
and  penitence,  but  involves  the  com- 
pound existence  of  several  graces.  In  the  fervent, 
effectual  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  all  holy  emotions 
are  called  forth ;  and  the  person  characterized  as  de- 
vout is  one  whose  pious  affections  often  lead  him  to 
acts  of  worship ;  who  manifests  a  holy  alacrity  in  seek- 
ing converse  Avith  his  Maker. 

Let  no  one  confound  the  gift  and  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  for  each  may  be  possessed  without  the  other. 
Melaucthon,  Luther,  and  Calvin,  had  little  extempora- 
neous ability  in  public  devotion.  The  last  two  were 
accustomed  to  use  a  written  form,  both   before   and 


after  delivering  their  sermons 


or  lectures ;  and  yet, 


would  it  be  safe  to  say  that  either  was  not  a  devout 
man  ?    On  the  other  hand,  ready  invention  and  com- 

118 


•       HUMILITY    AND    DEPENDENCE.  119 

mand  of  language  will  enable  a  person,  who  perhaps 
never  really  prays,  to  excel  in  making  a  prayer.  His 
volubility  may  impose  upon  himself,  and  those  who 
listen ;  and  God  may  render  his  performances  service- 
able to  others,  while  for  himself  they  have  only  a  sa- 
vor of  death  unto  death.  His  is  a  ministering,  not  a 
sanctifying  gift.  Even  those  who  receive  aid  from  on 
high  are  sometimes  in  danger  of  beguiling  themselves 
by  a  readiness  of  the  lips,  with  which  a  sanctijBed 
heart  has  nothing  to  do.  Hannah  More  remarks  justly, 
"  that  we  may  not  only  be  elated  with  the  fluency,  but 
even  with  the  fervency  of  our  prayers.  Vanity  may 
grow  out  of  the  act  of  renouncing  it,  and  we  may  begin 
to  feel  proud  at  having  humbled  ourselves  so  elo- 
quently." 

Superior  minds  feel  the  want  of  help  no  less  than 
others,  particularly  in  more  sacred  duties  and  arduous 
undertakings.  Such  persons,  even  amidst  the  dark- 
ness of  heathenism,  have  been  accustomed  to  seek  and 
profess  special  divine  guidance.  Distinguished  legis- 
lators and  philosophers  of  old  did  this,  as  Zoroaster, 
Pythagoras,  and  Lycurgus.  Numa  affirmed  that  the 
goddess  JEgeria  attended  him,  conducting  him  to  a 
sacred  grove,  and  to  a  concourse  of  her  sister  divini- 
ties, where  he  was  told  what  laws  and  religious  obser- 
vances to  introduce  among  the  Romans.  Some  of  the 
ancients  indeed  maintained  that  every  individual  has 
one  of  the  genii  assigned  to  him  at  birth,  who  contin- 
ues a  guardian  angel  through  life.  It  is  from  the  same 
necessities  of  our  nature,  and  from  the  same  supersti- 
tion, that  ordinary  patron  saints  are  adopted  and  in- 
voked, and  that,  for  instance,  the   Jesuit   missionary 


120  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Cavallero,  vaulting  a  little  higher  in  spiritual  ambition, 
chose  the  archangel  Michael  for  his  tutelary  friend. 
It  moves  our  deep  commiseration  to  reflect  how  ^videly 
the  pagan  world,  together  ^vith  corrupt  Christian  com- 
munities, sharing  in  the  common  feeling  of  human 
weakness,  have  idly  sought  assistance  from  sources 
higher  than  man,  yet  lower  than  God. 

Now,  all  that  heart  can  wish  is  pledged  to  the  hum- 
ble Christian  suppHant.  The  very  act  of  worship 
implies  an  acknowledgment  of  immeasurable  inferior- 
ity. Is  pride  ever  so  arrogant,  ever  such  an  affront 
as  in  this  service  ?  Elsewhere  it  may  be  simply  odi- 
ous ;  here  it  is  impious,  and  becomes  a  personal  in- 
dignity to  the  King  of  kings.  However  familiar  and 
earnest,  the  petitioner  must  still  keep  upon  his  knees. 
In  his  protracted  intercession  for  Sodom,  Abraham 
said,  "  Behold  now  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak 
unto  the  Lord,  which  am  but  dust  and  ashes."  The 
Lord  in  a  special  vision  announced  to  Solomon,  ^'  If 
my  people  which  are  called  by  my  name  shall  humble 
themselves,  and  pray,  and  seek  my  face,  and  turn  from 
their  wicked  ways,  then  will  I  hear  from  heaven,  and 
will  forgive  their  sins." 

Pride  is  the  most  inveterate  of  maladies.  It  was 
not  the  language  of  the  Stoics  alone,  when  one  of  their 
number,  speaking  of  what  he  called  virtue,  said,  "  This 
is  the  chief  good,  which,  if  it  be  thine,  thou  art  already 
beginning  to  be  a  companion  of  the  gods,  not  a  suppli- 
ant to  them."  In  a  strain  yet  more  impiously  vainglo- 
rious did  another  reply,  when  invited  to  assist  in  a 
sacrifice  to  the  gods :  "  It  is  for  them  to  come  to  me, 
not  for  me  to  go  to  them."     Is  not  that  substantially 


HUMILITY    AND    DEPENDENCE.  121 

the  feeling  of  the  universal  heart  of  apostate  man? 
"The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of  his  countenance, 
will  not  seek  after  God.''  But  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
discloses  a  view  of  Him  who  is  on  the  throne  high  and 
lifted  up,  does  not  the  discoverer  cry  out,  "  I  am  un- 
done ;  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips  "  ?  Holy  as  unfallen 
angels  are,  they  are  humble ;  strange  as  it  may  sound 
in  the  ears  of  a  brazen-faced  age,  there  is  blushing  in 
heaven.  Humility  is  the  very  essence  of  acceptable 
prayer.  Who  ever  gave  alms  to  a  haughty,  arrogant 
beggar  ?  "  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace 
to  the  humble.'' 

AVliere  neither  the  light  of  Christianity  is  enjoyed 
nor  its  power  felt,  the  element  of  insubordination 
often  comes  out  in  most  offensive  exhibitions.  Among 
the  ancient  gentile  nations  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for 
a  suppliant  to  pass  from  petitions  to  threats,  endeav- 
oring to  intimidate  the  gods  into  compliance.  In- 
stances occur  in  which  images  were  cast  down  and 
temples  demolished  out  of  revenge  upon  some  unpro- 
pitious  divinity.  Visit  Tartary  now,  and  you  will  hear 
the  Ostiacs,  when  their  prayers  for  secular  prosperity 
have  not  been  answered,  loading  the  god  whom  they 
profess  to  worship  with  a  thousand  reproaches,  and 
insulting  him  as  old  and  despicable.  Visit  the  aborig- 
inal tribes  of  our  own  country,  and  you  may  hear  the 
most  solemn  speeches  to  their  deities  interlarded  with 
expostulations  and  threats  of  neglect  if  requests  are 
not  complied  with.^  In  Christian  countries,  fanaticism 
has  sometimes  run  into  an  equally  amazing  arrogance. 
Thomas  Munzer,  the  corypheus  of  fanatics  in  the  six- 

^  See  Franklin's  Journey  to  the  Polar  Sea. 
11 


122  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

teenth  century,  taught  that  we  should  peremptorily 
demand  of  God  a  miracle,  by  which  we  may  Imow  that 
he  has  a  care  for  us,  and  that  our  religion  is  better 
than  that  of  the  Turks  ;  and  if  a  sign  is  not  given  at 
once,  we  must  expostulate  with  him,  continuing  to 
demand  it,  yea,  must  blame  and  reproach  him  for  not 
doing  it.  But  why  travel  so  remotely  ?  Where  is  the 
unrenewed  man  who  ever  attempted  to  pray,  and, 
finding  his  petitions  unanswered,  did  not  cherish  a 
secret  resentment ;  did  not  feel  that  he  was  ^vronged 
by  the  withholding  of  the  desired  good  ;  did  not  im- 
agine that  by  asking  he  had  laid  G-od  under  obligation 
to  bestow?  "Wherefore  have  we  fasted,"  say  they, 
"and  thou  seest  not?  wherefore  have  we  afflicted  our 
souls,  and  thou  takest  no  knowledge  ?  " 

On  the  other  hand,  how  often  do  tlie  truly  devout 
express  fears  lest  they  may  not  be  heard  on  account 
of  their  shortcomings,  want  of  humility,  of  faith,  and 
of  everything  pleasing  to  God.  But  is  any  one  heard 
on  account  of  his  holiness?  There  has  never  been 
but  one  being  in  this  world  who  could  offer  a  prayer 
that  was  accepted  for  his  o^vn  sake  or  its  own  sake, 
and  that  was  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  who&e  name  alone 
prayer  becomes  availing.  Our  imperfections  then 
need  not  deter  us.  God  is  not  a  rigorous  Judge,  ex- 
acting high  personal  excellence  as  the  condition  of 
acceptable  worship.  He  is  reconciled  through  the 
Mediator ;  he  looks  at  Christ,  and  what  we  need  is  to 
do  the  same.  Though  our  sanctity  fall  far  below  that 
of  Elias,  who  was  a  man  of  like  passions  with  our- 
selves, we  need  not  despond.  But  for  our  Intercessor, 
we  could  have  no  hope  ;  through  him  we  have  all  hope. 


RIGHT    MOTIVE.  123 


II.     RIGHT     MOTIVE. 

"  Do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  This  generic  law- 
binds  of  course  in  prayer.  Is  not  the  absence  of  that 
motive  inconsistent  with  the  trne  spirit  of  supplica^ 
tion  ?  His  OT^n  glory  being  the  aim  of  G-ocl  in  all  that 
he  does,  can  acceptance  with  him  be  expected  if  our 
aims  do  not  harmonize  with  his?  Selfishness,  the 
seeking  of  something  else  than  what  he  has  in  view, 
refuses  to  sing,  '^  Glory  to  God  m  the  highest."  Its 
sole  maxim  is,  Charity  begins  at  home.  It  clutches 
and  appropriates,  never  once  asking  Avith  what  feel- 
ings the  bounties  of  God  should  be  received  and  em- 
ployed. 

What  saith  the  Scripture  ?  "We  open  the  history  of 
the  Jews.  Jerusalem  is  besieged ;  the  insulting  and 
blasphemous  Sennacherib  is  urging  a  surrender.  To 
all  appearance,  mevitable  destruction  threatens  the 
city  of  David.  Hezekiah  receives  a  letter  from  the 
insolent  Assyrian ;  he  goes  to  the  sanctuary,  and  there 
spreads  it  out  before  the  Lord.  His  great  plea  for 
interposition  is  not  that  fearful  sufferings  and  degra- 
dation w^ould  be  averted,  but  "  that  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord,  even 
thou  only."  That  very  night  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
smote  in  the  camp  of  the  Assyrians  a  hundred  four- 
score and  five  thousand.  Thus,  too,  the  Psalmist 
prays  repeatedly,  ^' Arise  for  our  help,  and  redeem  us 
for  thy  mercy's  sake  ;  "  "  Do  thou  for  me,  0  God  the 
Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake." 

We  turn  to  the  early  history  of  the  Israelites.     We 


124  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

find  the  people  encamped  around  Sinai.     We  see  them 
bowing  to  a  golden  calf,  in  the  very  light  of  that  burn- 
ing  mountain.     The   anger   of   the   Lord   waxes   hot 
agai-nst  them.     With  what  argument  can  Moses  inter- 
cede in  their  behalf?     With  an  appeal  to  the   honor 
and    faithfulness    of    God.     ^'Wherefore    should    the 
Egyptians  speak  and  say,  For  mischief  did  he  bring 
them  out  to  slay  them  in  the  mountains,  and  to  con- 
sume them  from  the  face  of  the  earth  ?     Remember 
Abraham,   Isaac,   and   Israel,  thy   servants,  to   whom 
thou  swarest  by  thine  own  self,  and  saidst  unto  them, 
I  will  multiply  your  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and 
all  this  land  that  I  have  spoken  of  will  I    give  unto 
your  seed,  and  they  shall  inherit  it  forever."     View 
them   again   as   they   approach   the    southern   border 
of  Canaan,  and   as   they  give   themselves   up  to    de- 
spondency and   mutiny  upon  the  exaggerated  report 
brought  back  by  spies.     The  pestilence  is  threatened 
as  a  punishment ;  but  their  leader  is  at  no  loss  for  a 
plea   that  will   prevail    with   Jehovah.     ^^  And   Moses 
said  unto  the  Lord,  Then  the  Egyptians  shall  hear  it 
(for  thou  broughtest  up  tliis  people  in  thy  might  from 
among  them),  and  they  will  tell  it  to  the  inhabitants  of 
this  land.     And  now,  I  beseech  thee,  let  the  power  of 
the  Lord  be  great,  according  as  thou  hast  spoken." 
He  received  an  immediate  assurance  that  his  prayer 
was  heard  ;  and  this  is  added :  "  As  truly  as  I  live,  all 
the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord." 
Centuries  later,  in  a  time  of  sore  famine,  we  hear  Jer- 
emiah pleading,   ^'  Do   not  abhor  us ;   for   thy  name's 
sake,  do  not  disgrace  the  throne  of  thy  glory;  remem- 
ber, break  not  thy  covenant  with  us." 


RIGHT     MOTIVE.  125 

And  is  any  other  the  true  motive  in  pleading   for 
spiritual  benefits  ?  When  supplicating  for  these  higher 
favors,  however  indispensable  to  our  well-being,  may 
we  for  a  moment  forget  there  is  One  whose  interests 
are  infinitely  more  important  ?     When  asking  forgive- 
ness, what  plea  does  the   Psalmist  urge  ?     '^  For   thy 
name's  sake,  pardon  mine  iniquity,  for  it  is    great ! " 
Not  because  perdition  is  before  me  ;  not  that  I  may  be 
happy ;    but    "  for   thy  name's    sake."     Will   not  thy 
mercy  be  thus  signalized  ?    Will  not  the  angels  rejoice 
over  it  and   praise  thee?     Will   not  thy  saints   bless 
thee  ?     For   thy  name's  sake,  0   Lord,   pardon  mine 
iniquity,  for  it  is  great."     With  like  argument  does  he 
intercede  for  the  house  of  Israel :  "  Help  us,  0  God 
of  our  salvation,  for  the  glory  of  thy  name  ;  and  de- 
liver us,  and  purge  away  our  sins,  for  thy  name's  sake." 
So,  too,  when   desirous   of  spiritual    comfort   and  re- 
vival :  ''  Quicken  me,  O  Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake  ;  for 
thy  righteousness'  sake,  bring  my  soul  out  of  trouble." 
We  open  to  the  prophecy  of  Daniel.     That  man  of 
God  finds  the  captivity  drawing  to  a  close.     He  gives 
himself  to  fasting,  humiliation,  and  supplication  ;  and 
while  the  topic  of  petition  partakes  of  a  mixed  charac- 
ter, partly  temporal  and  partly  spiritual,  the  inspiring- 
motive  is  still  the  same :  "  Now,  therefore,  0  our  God, 
hear  the  prayer  of  thy  servant,  and  his  supplications, 
and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  sanctuary  that  is 
desolate,  for  the  Lord's  sake." 

We  find  the  same  argument  employed  by  holy  men 
in  cases  where  a  miracle  was  contemplated.     Take  the 
instance  of  Elijah  calling  down  fire  from  heaven  to  con- 
sume the  sacrifice,  in  order  that  the  relative  claims  of 
11* 


126  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Jehovah  and  of  Baal  might  be  convincingly  settled. 
The  prophet  came  near  and  said,  '^  Hear  me,  0  Lord 
hear  me,  that  this  people  may  know  that  thou  art  the 
Lord  God,  and  that  thou  hast  turned  their  heart  back 
again."  At  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  Christ  prays,  "Be- 
cause of  the  people  which  stood  by  I  said  it,  that  they 
may  believe  tiiat  thou  hast  sent  me." 

The  same  desire  finds  appropriate  expression  in  de- 
votional praise  ;  as,  for  example,  amidst  thanksgivings 
ofiered  by  King  David  when  Nathan  brought  a  mes- 
sage relating  to  the  temple  :  "  Let  thy  name  be  mag- 
nified forever,  saying.  The  Lord  of  hosts  is  God  over 
Israel."  We  listen  to  ascriptions  by  the  four-and- 
twenty  elders  whom  John  saw  fall  down  before  him 
that  sat  on  the  throne  :  "  Thou  art  worthy,  0  Lord,  to 
receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  power ;  for  thou  hast 
created  all  tilings,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and 
were  created."  Thou  art  worthy  to  receive  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  glory,  and  honor,  and  power ;  thou 
art  worthy  of  honor  from  all  creatures  in  vicAv  of  the 
manifestations  of  thy  glorious  attributes ;  for  all  things 
in  existence  were  made  by  thee ;  they  illustrate  thy 
perfections,  and  it  is  alone  for  this,  thine  all-wise  de- 
sign, they  exist. 

The  filial  spirit,  as  in  heaven  so  on  earth,  is  charac- 
terized by  this  motive.  With  no  selfish  or  servile  dis- 
position does  the  true  believer  kneel  at  the  footstool. 
Selfforgetful  and  aff'ectionate,  his  soul  looks  upward 
into  the  face  of  infinite  tenderness.  With  confiding 
familiarity  does  it  speak  to  Him  who  is  plenteous  in 
mercy.  When  the  Comforter  comes  with  this  assur- 
ance of  sonship,  formality  is  at  an  end.     There  is  no 


RIGHT    MOTIVE.  127 

more  confession  without  penitence,  or  thanksgiving 
without  gratitude  ;  no  longer  does  the  suppliant  seem 
to  be  taking  God's  name  in  vain  by  a  heartless  repeti- 
tion of  divine  titles  ;  nor  does  he  now  seem  like  an 
automaton  performing  lip-labor  from  the  impulse  of 
some  mechanical  force.  He  does  not  say  his  prayers ; 
he  prays. 

Is  it  strange  that  no  more  petitions  are  answered  ? 
Busy  in  traffic,  husbandry,  mechanical  occupations, 
professional  hfe,  or  political  schemes,  men  suffer  the 
cares  of  this  world  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches  to 
choke  the  spirit  of  prayer,  if  not  wholly  to  suspend  its 
performance.  One  has  a  cargo  just  in  ;  one  has  bought 
^ve  yoke  of  oxen ;  one  is  an  industrious  son  of  Tubal- 
Cain,  an  artificer  in  iron  and  brass  ;  and  but  little  time 
is  found  for  communion  with  God.  Domestic  cares 
are  urgent.  How  many,  Martha-like,  are  careful  and 
troubled  about  mucji  serving,  far  more  so  than  about 
converse  with  the  heavenly  Guest.  With  Daniel  and 
Nehemiah  amd  Mary  it  was  not  so.  Would  that  the 
spirit  of  prayer  might  follow  us  into  the  world,  as 
selfish  cares  of  the  world  follow  us  to  the  place  of 
prayer  ! 

How  would  many  be  surprised  if  their  requests  were 
answered  !  If  God  were  to  make  bare  his  arm,  were 
to  do  for  others  all  that  is  asked  of  him,  were  to  grant 
converting  grace  in  every  family,  to  change  the  whole 
aspect  of  society,  giving  truth  and  practical  godhness 
a  complete  triumph,  would  not  Christians  be  startled  ? 
If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  to  come  to  our  hearts  and 
households  by  such  a  decisive  visitation  as  would  con- 
strain us  to  change  our  style  of  living,  to  modify  plans 


11:0  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

of  business,  to  deny  ourselves  many  things  previously 
deemed  innocent  and  suitable,  and  to  do  many  things 
previously  neglected, — in  short,  to  make  religion  most 
evidently  the  business  of  life,  —  should  we  not  be  as- 
tonished at  such  a  development  ?  Is  there  a  present 
shrinking  in  thought  from  such  a  result?  Then  has 
selfishness  gendered  insincerity,  and  there  is  a  mock- 
ing of  God  in  our  petitions.  "  People,"  says  Robert 
Adam,  "  never  tell  more  lies  than  in  their  prayers." 


III.     EARNESTNESS. 

Did  Paul  ever  sink  into  quietistic  relaxation  ?  With 
him  prayer  was  heart-work.  He  greatly  longed  after 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  young  churches  gathered 
by  him ;  he  prayed  exceedingly.  Was  he  an  enthu- 
siast ?  Did  he  not  address  a  Being  who  could  do  ex- 
ceeding abundantly  above  all  that  is  thought  or  asked, 
and  who  has  given  promises  exceeding  great  and 
precious  ?  Intense  religious  affections  are  more  than 
authorized ;  and  if  authorized  in  any  exercise,  it  is 
that  of  devotion.  Only  such  prayer  as  costs  some- 
thing is  worth  anything.  It  is  in  the  sweat  of  our 
face  that  we  are  to  get  manna  from  heaven.  Will  pe- 
titions that  do  not  move  the  heart  of  the  suppliant, 
move  the  heart  of  Omnipotence  ?  Earnestness  to  the 
point  of  agony  is  not  inappropriate. 

"I  will  not  let  thee  go;"  bruise  thou  mayest,  but 
bless  thou  must.  To  the  human  eye,  Jacob's  condition 
was  indeed  deplorable.  He  was  fleeing  from  an  unscru- 
pulous father-in-law,  and  was  about  to  meet  an  enraged 


EARNESTNESS.  129 

brother.  His  finesse  and  self-reliance  may  well  make 
him  fear  lest  the  divine  covenant,  if  not  broken,  has 
been  at  least  disturbed.  How  can  he  meet  the  one 
whom  he  wronged,  and  who  these  many  years  has 
been  cherishing  a  deep  resentment  ?  What  can  he  do  ? 
He  can  pray.  In  such  an  emergency  he  may  well 
struggle  all  night.  Wrestling  requires  energy  and  de- 
termination ;  and  in  that  exercise,  most  significant 
under  the  circumstances,  does  the  angel  engage  with 
him.  Jacob  insists  on  a  blessing,  and  he  prevails.  He 
wins  the  order  of  spiritual  knighthood  upon  the  field  ; 
yea,  as  a  prince  he  has  power  with  God  and  with  men, 
and  prevails  ;  and  his  name  thereafter  becomes  a  me- 
morial of  the  power  of  prayer.  The  God  of  Israel 
encourages  and  is  pleased  with  wrestling  earnestness. 
The  mere  curiosity  of  a  suppliant  he  will  not  gratify, 
but  a  devout  wish  he  will.  Crippled  I  may  be,  but  I 
cannot  be  denied.  "  Never,"  said  Bernard,  — ''  never 
will  I  come  away  from  thee  without  thee  ! " 

They  who  bear  the  paralytic  should  be  deterred  by 
no  obstacle  ',  let  them  break  up  the  roof  and  lower  the 
patient  into  the  presence  of  the  Great  Physician. 
Blind  Bartimeus  cries,  ^^  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  me  ;  "  and  while  many  charge  him  that 
he  should  hold  his  peace,  "  the  more  a  great  deal "  does 
he  cry,  "  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me." 
That  which  annoys  men  under  such  circumstances  is 
pleasing  to  God.  A  decorous,  holy  violence  will  carry 
the  point. 

Here  and  there  may  be  found  a  mighty  wrestler 
who  strains  every  nerve  and  sinew  of  the  soul,  and 
with  groanings  unutterable  perseveres  till  daybreak. 


130  THE    MERCY- SEAT. 

Augustine  speaks  of  one  who  prayed  as  if  he  would 
exjm'are  orando, — breathe  out  his  very  life  in  the  ex- 
ercise. Nazianzen  says  of  his  sister  Gorgonia  that 
she  was  modestly  impudent  with  God;  there  was  no 
putting  her  off  with  a  denial.  Have  you  ever  won- 
dered how  the  great  German  Reformer,  in  the  midst 
of  toil  and  conflict,  the  assaults  of  enemies,  and  the 
indiscretions  of  friends,  was  sustained  ?  An  acquaint- 
ance, writing  to  Melancthon,  solves  the  mystery :  "  No 
day  passes  in  which  he  does  not  devote  at  least  three 
hours  to  prayer  and  meditation.  I  once  succeeded  in 
hearing  him  pray.  What  energy,  what  faith,  in  his 
words  !  He  prays  earnestly,  as  a  man  communing  with 
God,  and  with  such  trust  and  faith  as  a  man  convers- 
ing with  his  father."  The  famous  philosopher  of  Syra- 
cuse was  not  the  only  one  who  has  been  so  intent 
upon  a  mighty  problem  as  to  be  insensible  to  the  ap- 
proach of  enemies  till  hands  were  laid  upon  him.  A 
martyr  at  Brussels,  Telleman,  was  so  rapt  in  his  devo- 
tions that  noisy  soldiers  were  unobserved  by  him  till 
they  seized  his  person. 

To  pray  with  listlessness  is  to  pray  as  if  expecting 
a  denial;  it  invites  a  refusal.  We  must  not  only 
knock  and  seek,  but  strive  to  enter  in.  It  is  related 
of  Augustus  Csesar,  that,  when  a  petition  was  pre- 
sented in  a  timorous  manner,  he  showed  marked  dis- 
pleasure, as  if  it  were  an  impeachment  of  his  benig- 
nity ;  and  shall  not  the  King  of  kings  be  offended  by 
the  hesitating  and  distrustful  manner  in  which  peti- 
tions are  laid  before  him  ? 

Fervency  is  the  antidote  for  wandering  thoughts. 
These  may  result  from  an  imperfect  mental  discipline, 


EARNESTNESS.  131 

and  from  other  causes  not  directly  involving  moral  de- 
linquency. More  often,  however,  they  are  owing  to 
the  want  of  due  preparation,  to  the  absence  of  that 
spirituality  of  mind,  that  ardor  of  soul,  which  charac- 
terizes a  truly  devout  Christian.  Worldliness  must 
necessarily  cause  distractions  in  prayer,  for  the  heart 
that  is  preoccupied  and  engrossed  with  the  affairs  of 
this  life  will  of  course  plead,  "  I  pray  thee  have  me 
excused,"  and,  if  dragged  to  the  mercy-seat,  will  inevi- 
tably disturb  the  repOse  of  that  place.  The  attempt 
is  like  trying  to  hold  an  ungoverned  and  restive  child 
at  the  family  altar. 

The  mind  may,  however,  be  collected  in  this  exer- 
cise, and  yet  to  no  better  purpose  than  if  distracted. 
Self-righteousness  is  capable  of  as  great  intensity  as 
genuine  devotion.  The  PTindoo  is  not  perhaps  so  often 
harassed  by  disturbing  thoughts  as  the  true  wor- 
shipper. The  Romanist  may  school  himself  into  great 
fixedness  in  repeating  his  Ave  Marias  and  Pater  Nos- 
ters.  Said  the  Rev.  Wm.  Romaine,  ^'I  once  uttered 
the  Lord's  Prayer  without  a  wandering  thought,  and 
it  was  the  worst  prayer  I  ever  offered.  I  was  on 
that  account  as  proud  as  the  Devil." 
•  In  regard  to  vagrancy  of  mind  and  other  hindran- 
ces, it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  "Accuser  of  the 
brethren  "  has  much  to  do  with  them.  "  Prayer,"  says 
Augustine,  "is  to  God  a  sacrifice,  to  the  Devil  a 
scourge."  It  is  with  reason  that  the  Great  Adversary 
employs  much  busy  malignity  upon  the  believer  in  his 
moments  of  communion  with  Heaven.  In  no  other 
attitude  than  that  of  prostration  before  the  footstool 
can  the  Christian  look  this  roaring  lion  in  the  face. 


132  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Prayer  is  the  key  that  opens  the  door  to  our  armory. 
But,  though  tempted,  we  are  not  forced.  Come  what 
may,  we  should  go  directly,  constantly,  boldly,  to  the 
mercy-seat. 

rv.     C0NST.1NCY. 

Constant  prayer  is  prayer  so  habitually  frequent  as 
to  characterize  a  person,  and  to  seem  the  occupation 
of  his  inner  life.  It  implies  the  existence  of  a  devo- 
tional frame,  a  readiness  to  enter  upon  the  duty  when- 
ever appropriate  seasons  occur.  We  say  of  one  who 
often  repeats  any  act  that  he  is  constantly  doing  it ; 
the  musician  is  always  at  his  favorite  instrument. 
Other  religious  observances  are  spoken  of  in  the  same 
way.  After  Christ's  ascension,  it  is  said  the  disciples 
were  '^  continually  in  the  temple,  praising  and  blessing 
God ; "  and  later,  "  Continuing  daily  with  one  accord 
in  the  temple."  It  was  habitual  with  them,  and  they 
devoted  so  much  time  to  those  duties  that  they  were 
said  to  be  continually  occupied  in  them.  Paul  assured 
the  Thessalonians,  "  We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for 
you  all."  Perhaps  in  many  prayers  they  were  not  re- 
membered at  all ;  yet  was  his  remembrance  of  theni 
so  frequent  that  he  could  truthfully  affirm  what  he 
did.  President  Edwards  says,  "  My  mind  was  greatly 
fixed  on  divine  things,  —  almost  perpetually  in  the 
contemplation  of  them.  I  spent  most  of  my  time  in 
thinking  of  divine  things  year  after  year ;  often  walk- 
ing alone  in  the  woods  and  solitary  places  for  medita- 
tion, soliloquy  and  prayer,  and  converse  with  God." 
He  prayed  without  ceasing ;   it  was  an  established, 


CONSTANCY.  133 

holy  habit  with  him.  The  soul  of  such  a  man  is  like 
the  golden  censer,  always  ready  with  its  incense  of 
sweet  savor,  though  that  incense  be  not  always  light- 
ed. Genuine  devotion  is  not  a  spark  from  the  flint, 
obtained  with  violence  and  quickly  gone  ;  it  warms  at 
all  times,  though  it  give  forth  only  an  occasional  flame. 

This  devotional  habit  should  intermingle  with  all 
secular  concerns.  The  practice  of  pious  Icelanders 
will  illustrate.  On  waking  in  the  morning  they  do  not 
salute  any  one  in  the  house  till,  after  hastening  to  the 
door,  they  have  lifted  up  their  eyes  in  silent  prayer. 
Returning  into  the  house,  they  greet  every  one  with, 
'^  God  grant  you  a  good  day  ! ''  Before  crossing  and 
after  having  crossed  a  river,  the  devout  Icelander  will 
raise  his  hat  in  token  of  the  sense  he  entertains  of 
dependence  on  the  Supreme  Being.  Fishermen,  too, 
when  they  put  out  to  sea,  after  rowing  into  quiet  water 
a  short  distance  from  the  shore,  take  off  their  hats 
and  send  up  a  prayer,  committing  themselves  to  the 
protection  of  God  and  soliciting  his  blessing  on  their 
labor. 

There  needs  to  be  an  abiding  appetency  of  the  soul 
after  God;  the  whole  life  should  be,  as  Origen  says, 
"  one  great,  connected  prayer."  Many  seem  to  be 
devout  only  by  paroxysms  or  periodically,  and  at  pe- 
riods disastrously  remote  from  one  another.  On  the 
great  day  of  expiation,  occurring  once  a  year,  the 
Jews  continue  at  their  prayers  from  morning  till  night, 
for  upwards  of  twelve  hours,  without  intermission. 
The  main  feature  of  all  formalism  is  that  it  undertakes 
by  something  external  and  extraordinary  to  atone  for 

an   inward  and   ordinary  defect.      It   pays   its   vows 
'    la 


134  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

as  men  pay  an  annual  tax,  —  only  because  they  must 
and  when  they  must.  But  such  grudging  in  rehgion, 
such  irrehgious  parsimony,  is  a  robbery  of  God,  and 
is  heaven-provoking.  As  well  may  a  man  set  apart  a 
few  hours  monthly  for  taking  food ;  as  well  may  a 
child  set  a  parent  dayoof  the  three  hundred  and  six- 
ty-five for  growing,  as  that  a  person  should  look  for 
spiritual  health  and  strength  with  such  irregular  and 
irreverent  habits.  Daily  bread  must  be  asked.  Has 
God  no  claims  upon  us  except  in  seasons  of  anxiety 
and  distress  ?  Is  he  an  almighty  servant  in  our  em- 
ploy, whose  aid  we  need  only  in  trying  emergencies, 
once  or  twice  a  year,  it  may  be  ?  Is  he  a  physician  to 
be  called  in  only  when  our  case  grows  threatening?  — 
merely  the  proprietor  of  a  life-boat,  to  come  when  the 
signal  of  distress  is  hung  out?  Pray  without  ceasing; 
pray  not  merely  on  some  great  day  of  expiation, 
when  one  long  prayer  may  be  deemed  tantamount  to 
many  short  ones^  but  often  ;  not  on  the  Sabbath  alone, 
but  on  secular  days ;  not  in  the  morning  merely,  but 
at  evening;  nor  at  those  seasons  merely,  but  many 
times  between  them. 

May  we  not  say  that  he  who  does  not  pray  always, 
never  prays  ?  The  spirit  of  prayer  is  the  spirit  of 
dependence,  humility,  love,  and  faith.  Is  that  man  a 
Christian  who  does  not  find  delight  in  these  exercises, 
and  whose  strongest  desire  is  not  that  he  may  possess 
them  more  fully,  that  he  may  grow  therein  day  by  day, 
till  the  day  of  his  death,  and  to  all  eternity  ?  Not  till 
that  period  has  arrived  when  daily  bread  is  no  longer 
needed ;  not  till  God's  promises  fail ;  not  till  one  has 
raised   himself  beyond   the   reach   of  the   arrows   of 


CONSTANCY.  135 

death  and  the  fieiy  darts  of  Satan,  and  has  no  sins 
remaining  to  be  pardoned,  will  it  be  safe  to  cease 
praying. 

Often  is  it  found,  in  regard  particularly  to  secret 
and  domestic  prayer,  that  fatigue,  the  pressure  of  busi- 
ness, or  bodily  indisposition,  is  made  an  apology  for 
omitting  at  the  regular  hour  to  address  the  throne  of 
grace.  But  the  Christian  constancy  now  insisted 
upon  will  arrest  and  overcome  such  disinclination,  and 
in  spite  of  hurry  or  lassitude  will  insist  upon  the  de- 
votional season. 

Praying  always  is  not  inconsistent  with  extraordi- 
nary seasons  of  prayer,  —  praying  more  at  one  time 
than  another.  Special  occasions  are  ordered  by  God, 
and  requii^e  a  special  recognition  of  his  providence. 
Unusual  duties  and  trials  demand  unusual  aid  of 
the  Spirit ;  coiTesponding  supplication  must  be  made. 
Samson  called  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  "  0  Lord  God, 
remember  me  and  strengthen  me,  I  pray  thee,  only 
this  once,  0  G^d."  ^'Is  any  among  you  afflicted?  Let 
him  pray." 

Simple  prayerfulness,  however,  should  not  be  re- 
garded as  a  substitute  for  stated  seasons  of  devotion. 
Life  is  desultory.  Every  one's  history  is  a  course 
of  varying  and  miscellaneous  events.  In  no  depart- 
ment of  business,  in  no  concerns,  sacred  or  secular, 
will  anything  of  high  value  be  accomplished  where 
there  are  not  system  and  punctuality.  He  who  has 
appointed  prayer  is  the  God  of  order.  A  uniform  and 
stated  observance  of  duty  harmonizes  with  the  econ- 
omy of  his  government,  and  must  be  acceptable  to 
him.    It  certamly  is  indispensable  to  our  highest  good. 


136  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Hence,  for  every  branch  of  worship,  secret,  domestic, 
or  public,  there  should  be  fixed  seasons. 

The  Friends  are  in  error  here.  They  believe  in 
a  present,  immediate  revelation,  and  it  is  their  well- 
known  practice  to  wait  for  the  supposed  sudden  im- 
pulse of  divine  influences  before  engaging  audibly  in 
religious  exercises.  Those  impulses  being  uncertain 
and  irregular,  they  often  remain  a  long  time  together 
with  no  united  prayer.  But  may  there  not  be  regular- 
ity without  formality  ?  Are  not  stated,  spontaneous 
attempts  to  worship  God  consistent  with  his  special 
and  gracious  presence  ?  To  rely  upon  that  presence 
independently  of  such  efforts  is  enthusiasm. 

Here  and  there  only  can  a  person  be  found  who  is 
tiTie  to  his  purposes.  Many  men  are  mere  creatures 
of  schemes.  Formina;  resolutions  never  carried  into 
effect  is  the  common  biography.  As  in  other  duties, 
so  in  this  there  is  a  sad  instability.  It  cannot  fail  to 
be  observed  that  no  particular  relating  to  this  duty  is 
more  insisted  upon  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  than  that 
it  should  be  constant :  "  Continue  in  prayer;  "  "  praying 
always  ; "  "  pray  without  ceasing."  Literally  uninter- 
rupted prayer  is  not,  of  course,  intended.  That  is 
impracticable  ;  nature  could  not  sustain  it.  Variation 
and  repose  are  indispensable  to  mental  and  spiritual 
health,  no  less  than  to  health  of  body.  It  is  only  a 
disordered  mind,  or  one  laboring  under  peculiar  weak- 
ness and  ignorance,  that,  disregarding  the  claims  of 
active  employment,  can  think  of  maintaining  prayer 
to  the  exclusion  of  other  duties.  In  the  fourth  cen- 
tury there  arose  a  sect  called  Euchites,  who  neglected 
all  business,  and  gave  themselves  to  prayer,  as  the  sum 


CONSTANCY.  137 

and  substance  of  religion,  and  the  exclusive  means 
of  salvation.  But  the  sect  embraced  only  enthusiasts, 
and  their  system  was  a  self-righteous  mysticism. 

In  the  later  periods  of  one's  life,  however,  when 
active  occupation  diminishes,  there  may  be  a  more 
literal  compliance  with  the  precept  to  pray  always. 
What  spectacle  is  more  delightful  than  that  of  a  ven- 
erable servant  of  God  who  waits  continually  in  the 
temple  ?  Bishop  Andrews,  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
was  accustomed  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  five 
hours  daily  in  prayer.  After  the  death  of  his  brother 
Nicholas  he  spent  all  his  time  thus.  During  his  last 
sickness,  being  full  threescore  and  ten,  he  continued 
while  awake  to  pray  audibly  till  his  strength  failed, 
and  then,  lifting  up  his  eyes  and  hands,  showed  that 
he  prayed  still. 

Constancy  in  prayer  implies  the  habit  of  ejacula- 
tion. And  what  is  ejaculatory  prayer  ?  A  short,  sud- 
den, reverent  address  to  God ;  a  devotional  paren- 
thesis. It  is  the  prayer  of  emergencies,  the  prayer 
for  vacant  moments  in  hourly  occupations,  the  prayer 
for  all  times  and  all  events.  It  differs  from  the  pray- 
ing of  stated  seasons  in  its  brevity,  and  in  being  very 
much  unpremeditated.  It  is  that  instant  darting  of 
the  soul  upward  to  the  mercy-seat  which  indicates 
what  its  tendency  is.  When  Joseph  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  saw  his  brother  Benjamin,  he  said,  "  God  be 
gracious  unto  thee,  my  son.'-  Jacob,  in  the  midst  of 
predictions  relating  to  his  sons  and  of  his  benedictions 
upon  them,  paused  an  instant  to  exclaim,  '^I  have 
waited  for  thy  salvation,  0  Lord  !  "  In  the  recapitu- 
lation of  his  labors,  Nehemiah  breaks  forth  at  every 

12* 


138  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

paragraph,  and  winds  up  the  whole  with,  "  Remember 
me,  0  God,  for  good."  In  the  midst  of  dying  agonies, 
the  penitent  thief  cried,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when 
thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom."  Discoursing  to  Tim- 
othy on  ministerial  qualifications  and  duties,  Paul  ejac- 
ulates, "  The  Lord  give  mercy  unto  the  house  of  Ones- 
iphorus." 

It  is  by  such  means  that  the  daily  events  and  secular 
concerns  of  life  are  to  be  sanctified,  brief  petitions 
being  frequently  mingled  with  them.  Among  primi- 
tive Christians  this  was  quite  common.  "  On  receiv- 
ing any  personal  or  domestic  token  of  the  divine  good- 
ness, when  engaged  in  any  important  undertaking,  such 
as  sowing  their  seed  or  reaping  their  harvest,  laying 
the  foundation  of  a  house  or  taking  possession  of  it, 
placing  the  web  in  the  loom  or  putting  on  a  new  suit 
of  clothes,  entering  on  a  journey  or  going  into  a  bath, 
forming  a  new  relation  or  parting  with  a  friend,  min- 
gling in  company,  at  the  beginning  or  closing  of  a  let- 
ter, they  indulged  in  the  aspirations  of  prayer ;  and  so 
much  did  they  familiarize  themselves  with  its  spirit 
and  its  sentiments  that  they  seem  to  have  cultivated 
the  habit  of  constant  mental  converse  with  their  heav- 
enly Father.^ 

It  is  a  question  upon  which  philosophers  have  ex- 
pended considerable  discussion,  whether  the  mind  be 
able  to  attend  simultaneously  to  two  different  things. 
This,  at  least,  is  certain,  that  it  can  pass  from  one 
object  to  another  with  such  rapidity  as  to  be  unable 
to  recall  its  own  volitions.  No  appreciable  time  being 
consumed  in  the  process,  and  the  mind  being  scarcely 

^  Coleman's  Antiquities. 


CONSTANCY.  139 

conscious  of  its  distinct  movements,  it  is  all  one  as  if 
it  could  direct  attention  to  two  or  more  objects  at  the 
same  time.  Manual  expertness,  rapid  musical  per- 
formance, and  the  like,  illustrate  the  point.  There  is 
then  an  intellectual  possibility  of  constant  prayer  with- 
out any  prejudicial  interruption  to  secular  engage- 
ments. If  the  organist  can  perform  simultaneously 
two  or  more  parts,  can  attend  to  expression  and  to  the 
accompanying  performances  of  others,  and  at  the  same 
time  give  vent  to  his  own  pious  emotions  ;  if  at  one 
time  Caesar  could  dictate  letters  to  three  amanuenses 
and  not  be  exclusively  occupied,  then  in  the  midst  of 
hourly  occupations  may  there  not  be  perpetual  sallies 
of  the  soul  heavenward  ?  President  Edwards,  speak- 
ing of  one  period  of  his  life,  says,  "  I  was  almost  con- 
stantly in  ejaculatory  prayer,  wherever  I  was.  Prayer 
seemed  to  be  natural  to  me,  as  the  breath  by  which 
the  inward  burnings  of  my  heart  had  vent."  Yet  he 
was  an  indefatigable  student  at  the  time  referred  to, 
and  neglected  none  of  the  common  duties  of  life.  No 
interference  with  such  duties  need  be  apprehended 
from  this  quarter ;  the  plough,  the  plane,  the  needle, 
need  not  stop  for  it.  The  salesman's  success  will  not 
be  hindered,  the  accountant's  accuracy  will  not  suffer. 
That  principle  of  thrift,  small  gain  and  speedy  return, 
will  be  fully  realized.  The  harvest-men  of  Boaz  did 
not  reap  any  the  less  for  saying,  ''  The  Lord  bless 
thee,'^  nor  the  sword  and  trowel  of  Nehemiah's  work- 
men move  any  the  slower  for  the  prayers  they  were 
sending  up.  The  door  to  the  palace  of  the  Great 
King  is  hard  by  and  ever  open  ;  it  does  not  take  even 
a  moment  to  step  into  his  presence.     These  quick  em- 


140  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

bassies  to  heaven  meet  with  no  delay.  In  his  picture 
of  a  true  Christian,  Clement  of  Alexandria  remarks, 
''  In  everyplace  v\^ill  he  pray,  though  not  openly  to  be 
seen  of  men.  Even  when  he  is  walking  for  pleasure, 
even  when  he  is  in  converse  with  other  men,  in  still- 
ness, in  reading,  and  when  he  is  engaged  in  reasonable 
business,  he  prays  by  all  means.  And  even  also  if  he 
only  think  on  God  in  the  chamber  of  the  soul,  and  with 
silent  sighing  calls  upon  his  Father,  he  will  be  near 
him  and  with  him,  for  he  is  still  speaking  to  him." 

How  does  the  drowning  man  struggle  to  raise  his 
head  above  the  water  into  that  element  which  alone 
can  support  life  !  So,  in  the  midst  of  surrounding 
cares  and  trials,  should  the  Christian  strive  evermore 
to  lift  his  soul  into  the  region  of  peace,  the  atmosphere 
of  heaven.  The  price  of  his  breath  is  constant  effort. 
Yet  he  finds  the  everlasting  arm  is  beneath  him ;  he 
hears  a  promise  which  infuses  strength :  "■  When  thou 
passest  through  the  waters  I  will  be  with  thee,  and 
through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee." 
The  heart  so  in  communion  with  God  will  find  a  holy 
quietude  and  wonderful  strength. 

Such  believers,  a  few  at  least,  have  there  been 
along  the  course  of  centuries.  And  have  they  not 
been  the  spiritual  giants  of  their  times,  the  men  of 
might,  who,  through  faith,  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought 
righteousness,  obtained  the  promises,  stopped  the 
mouths  of  lions,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,  turned  to  flight 
the  armies  of  the  ahens  ?  They  were  not  noisy  Chris- 
tians. Their  feet  were  shod  with  the  preparation  of 
the  gospel  of  peace.     One  of  this  class,^  when  asked 

^  Professor  Fraucke. 


CONSTANCY.  141 

by  a  friend  how  he  maintained  such  a  constant  peace 
of  mind,  replied,  "  By  stirring  up  my  mind  a  hundred 
times  a  day.  Wherever  I  am,  whatever  I  do,  I  say. 
Blessed  Jesus,  have  I  truly  a  share  in  thy  redemp- 
tion ?  Are  my  sins  forgiven  ?  Am  I  guided  by  thy 
Spirit?  Thine  I  am;  wash  me  again  and  again  !  By 
this  constant  converse  with  Jesus  I  have  enjoyed 
serenity  of  mind  and  a  settled  peace  in  my  soul." 

This  species  of  prayer  must  not  supplant  the  regu- 
lar seasons  of  more  protracted  devotion.  So  far  from 
that,  it  can  hardly  be  maintained  without  those  sea- 
sons, and  it  will  give  to  them  a  zest  not  otherwise  to 
be  secured.  These  transient  communications  with 
heaven  serve  to  kindle  a  more  imperative  desire  for 
the  hours  of  longer  fellowship  with  the  Father  and 
with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  After  having  been  thus 
upon  the  mount,  does  not  the  believer  find  that  his  eye 
turns  wistfully  back  to  the  sacred  summit,  and  that 
his  most  fervent  aspirations  are  sometimes  those  he 
breathes  as  he  turns  his  footsteps  again  toward  the 
level  of  customary  worldly  cares  ?  Such  postscripts 
of  the  heart  are  the  most  pithy  and  earnest  of  all. 

Nothing  but  ignorance  and  unbelief  will  suggest  the 
inquiry  whether  these  brief  and  silent  aspirations  have 
efficacy.  It  is  truly  wonderful  in  how  short  a  space  of 
time  one  may  go  to  heaven  and  be  back  again ;  but 
not  less  wonderful  is  the  amount  of  influence  which  so 
transient  a  visit  may  have.  A  sigh,  a  groan,  an  emo- 
tion of  penitence  embodied  in  a  tear,  may  affect  the 
well-being  of  souls  through  eternity.^     Does  the  elec- 

*  Ac  saepeuumero,  plus  impetrant  tacita  suspiria  lachrymreque,  quam  magni 
clamores.    EPwVsmus,  —  Modus  orandi  Deum. 
12* 


142  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

trie  current  perform  its  work  any  the  less  effectually 
for  doing  it  rapidly?  No  one  is  heard  for  his  much 
speaking,  neither  may  any  one  despond  for  his  little 
speaking.  It  was  not  a  long  prayer  that  Hezekiah 
offered  for  the  people  ;  but  "  the  Lord  hearkened  to 
Hezekiah,  and  healed  the  people."  It  would  seem 
to  be  in  few  words  that  Isaiah  cried  unto  the  Lord, 
^'  and  he  brought  the  shadow  ten  degrees  backward, 
by  which  it  had  gone  down  in  the  dial  of  Ahaz." 


V.    PERSEVERANCE. 

Persevering  effort  is  the  universal  price  of  success. 
In  the  results  of  life  far  less  is  owing  to  any  difference 
of  mental  endowment  or  external  circumstances  than 
to  firmness  or  caprice  of  purpose.  No  quality  of  the 
will  commands  such  deep  respect  as  a  resolute  con- 
stancy. With  profound  regard  do  we  contemplate  a 
man  in  the  midst  of  clamor,  derision,  ingratitude,  and 
partial  failures,  calmly  holding  on  his  way.  ''  I  was 
once,"  says  Tamerlane,  "forced  to  take  shelter  from 
my  enemies  in  a  ruined  building,  where  I  sat  alone 
for  many  hours.  To  divert  my  mind  from  my  hope- 
less condition,  I  fixed  my  observation  upon  an  ant, 
that  was  carrying  a  grain  of  corn  larger  than  itself 
up  a  high  wall.  I  numbered  the  efforts  it  made  to 
accomplish  this  object.  The  grain  fell  sixty-nine 
times  to  the  ground ;  but  the  insect  persevered,  and 
the  seventieth  time  it  reached  the  top  of  the  wall. 
The  sight  gave  me  courage  at  the  moment,  and  I 
never  forgot  the  lesson  it  conveyed."     In  the  hidden 


PERSEVERANCE.  143 

and  the  active  life  of  a  believer,  perseverance  is  no 
less  desirable  than  in  the  outer  world ;  but  its  impor- 
tance in  prayer  is  perhaps  less  appreciated  than  in  re- 
gard to  other  duties. 

Persevering  prayer  is  to  be  distinguished  from  fer- 
vent and  from  constant  prayer.  Fervency  or  importu- 
nity marks  the  strength  of  devotional  feeling ;  it 
denotes  intensity  of  emotion  and  desire,  whether  uni- 
form or  occasional.  Constant  prayer  implies  an  habit- 
ual and  decidedly  devout  spirit.  Fervent  or  otherwise, 
it  suffers  no  material  interruptions.  Whether  actually 
in  exercise  or  not,  it  exists ;  and  it  will  seek  frequent 
opportunity  for  utterance.  Persevering  prayer  is  more 
specific,  having  reference  to  a  definite  object;  it  is 
continued  supplication  for  some  particular  blessing. 
A  man  may  be  importunate  at  times  without  being 
constant ;  he  may  be  constant  without  prosecuting  any 
one  item  of  desire  so  uninterruptedly  as  to  be  pro- 
nounced persevering.  He  may  indeed  be  said  to  per- 
severe in  the  general  habit  of  prayer,  though  not  in 
the  devout  pursuit  of  some  specified  object.  Devo- 
tional fervor  is  opposed  to  coldness  and  languor ;  con- 
stancy to  remissness ;  perseverance  to  fickleness.  The 
perfection  of  prayer  is  a  union  of  these  qualities  in 
their  highest  degree,  —  fervor  in  the  constant  pros- 
ecution of  persevering  prayer. 

The  chief  element  of  such  supplication  is  a  stable 
belief  in  the  promises  of  God.  Without  that  it  would 
be  mere  presumptuous  obstinacy.  There  is  also  im- 
plied a  firm  purpose  to  pursue  the  object  of  petition 
until  it  be  granted,  or  else  until  it  appear  evidently 
not  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  divine  will. 


144  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Is  sucli  prayer  required  or  authorized  ?  —  a  question 
to  be  answered  from  the  Bible.  We  read,  "  Continue 
in  prayer,  and  watch  in  the  same  ; "  "  continuing  in- 
stant in  prayer."  The  word  persevering  might  be 
better  employed  here.  Mere  continuance  is  not  the 
idea.  A  person  may  thus  go  on  from  habit  simply, 
and  his  prayers  be  all  the  while  undevoutly  mechani- 
cal. The  perseverance  required  is  the  result  of  reflec- 
tion, based  upon  enlightened  conviction.  In  Ephesians 
vi.  18,  of  our  version,  we  have  the  word:  ^'Praying 
always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit, 
and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perseverance  and 
supplication  for  all  saints." 

We  ask  for  illustrative  instances,  showing  in  what 
manner,  with  what  limitations,  and  with  what  success 
persevering  prayer  may  be  prosecuted. 

Look  at  the  great  lawgiver  and  general  of  Israel. 
His  forty  years  of  command  were  a  continued  inter- 
cession for  them.  A  score  of  times  did  they  rebel 
against  God,  and  against  him ;  yet  they  were  his  be- 
loved people,  God's  chosen  people,  and  intercede  for 
them  he  would.  Not  for  Miriam  and  Aaron  alone  did 
he  pray,  but  for  the  whole.  When  he  saw  the  molten 
calf,  he  looked  up  to  the  mount  and  cried,  "  Turn 
from  thy  fierce  wrath,  and  repent  of  this  evil  against 
thy  people."  On  the  morrow  he  was  still  pleading, 
"Oh,  this  people  have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and  have 
made  them  gods  of  gold.  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt,  for- 
give their  sin ;  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy 
book  which  thou  hast  written."  So,  too,  at  the  waters 
of  Meribah,  and  when  a  fire  had  been  kindled  at  Ta- 
berah ;  when  the  spies  brought  their  exaggerated  re- 


P  E  R  S  E  Y  E  R  A  X  C  E  .  145 

port;  at  the  insurrection  of  Korah  and  his  company; 
when  the  fiery  serpents  were  devastating  the  camp, 
his  persevering  supphcation  went  up  in  behalf  of  the 
erring,  afflicted  host.  No  sooner  is  his  deatli  an- 
nounced to  him  than  he  beseeches  God  to  appoint  a 
successor  for  that  cherished  flock,  which  will  otherwise 
soon  be  without  a  shepherd.  At  last  he  takes  leave 
of  the  twelve  tribes  in  an  extended  benediction,  as- 
cends Mount  Nebo,  and  dies.  He  persevered  in 
prayer. 

We  open  the  New  Testament.  We  follow  our  Lord 
into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon ;  and  "  Behold,  a 
woman  of  Canaan  cries  after  him,  saying.  Have  mercy 
on  me,  0  Lord,  thou  Son  of  David ;  my  daughter  is 
grievously  vexed  with  a  devil ;  but  he  answered  her 
not  a  word."  How  unfeeling  apparently,  and  really 
how  disheartening!  '^His  disciples  came  and  besought 
him,  saying.  Send  her  away,  for  she  crieth  after  us." 
Her  importunities  had  continued,  and  to  be  rid  of 
them  the  disciples  favored  her  suit.  Surely  the  com- 
passionate Messiah  cannot  resist  this  united  appeal. 
^''  He  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  These  Syrophe- 
nicians  have  no  title,  and  can  have  no  share  in  my  re- 
gards. Is  there  a  perseverance  that  will  longer  hold 
out  ?  ^'  Then  she  came  and  worshipped  him,  saying, 
Lord,  help  me."  ^^He  answered  and  said,  It  is  not 
meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast  it  to  the 
dogs."  The  Jews,  who  are  children,  may  not  be 
wronged  to  supply  you  Canaanites,  who  are  but  dogs. 
Is  there  pertinacity  in  the  mother's  love  that  will 
stand  that  ?     "  And   she   said,  Truth^  Lord ;    yet  the 

13 


146  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their  master's 
table."  ^^  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  0 
woman,  great  is  thy  faith ;  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt.  And  her  daughter  was  made  whole  from 
that  very  hour."  Persevering  prayer  wrought  the 
achievement. 

Follow  Christ  as  he  leaves  Jericho.  Hear  Bartimeus 
crying  out,  "  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me."  He  is  bidden  by- many  to  hold  his  peace  ;  but  he 
only  cries  the  more  a  great  deal,  '^  Thou  Son  of  David 
have  mercy  on  me  ! "  till  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  "  Go 
thy  way ;  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  The 
blind  beggar  would  persevere  in  his  petition. 

Sit  down  and  listen  to  Christ's  plain  instructions  on 
this  point.  "  And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to 
this  end,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 
faint ;  saying.  There  was  in  a  city  a  judge  which 
feared  not  God  nor  regarded  man."  A  rare  instance 
of  recklessness  and  hardihood.  ^'  And  there  was  a 
wadow  in  that  city."  The  peculiarly  lonely  and  trying 
situation  of  the  widow  in  Eastern  countries  is  well 
known.  ''  And  she  came  unto  him,  saying,  Avenge 
me  of  mine  adversary ; "  do  me  justice  with  respect 
to  mine  adversary, —  protect  me  against  mine  adver- 
sary. A  more  reasonable  and  moving  appeal  could 
hardly  have  been  made.  "  And  he  would  not  for  a 
while  ;  but  afterward  he  said  within  himself,  Though 
I  fear  not  God  nor  I'egard  man,  yet,  because  this 
widow  troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  by  her 
continual  coming,  she  weary  me."  Selfish,  hard- 
hearted man  !  He  has  neither  piety  nor  pity.  As  a 
public  functionary  he  is  unjust ;  as  a  man  he  is  cruel. 


PERSEVERANCE.  147 

No  compassion  does  he  show  to  one  in  peculiar  dis- 
tress, and  who  has  a  reasonable  claim  upon  him,  but 
takes  pity  on  himself,  and  out  of  regard  merely  to 
his  own  comfort  does  what  his  office  and  what  common 
humanity  should  have  prompted  him  to  do.  Notliing 
but  the  woman's  perseverance  wearied  him  into  com- 
pliance. "  The  Lord  said,  Hear  what  the  unjust  judge 
saith.  And  shall  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which 
cry  day  and  night  unto  him,  though  he  bear  long  with 
them  ?  I  tell  you  that  he  will  avenge  them  speedily." 
Mark  how  all  the  circumstances  of  the  parable  go  to 
encourage  perseverance  in  prayer.  A  woman  not 
related  to  the  judge,  apparently  unknown  to  him, 
urges  upon  his  attention  a  case  for  which  he  cares 
nothing.  She  addresses  an  unprincipled,  merciless 
man,  and  asks  personal  redress.  Yet  she  succeeds ; 
her  importunity  wins  the  favor.  Much  more,  then, 
shall  not  the  merciful  God  hear  his  own  chosen  people 
when  they  plead  for  that  which  he  is  predisposed  to 
give,  that  in  which  his  own  honor  and  glory  are  con- 
cerned ?  In  the  person  of  our  Judge  we  have  infinite 
advantages. 

The  point  is  fairly  established  by  precept,  by  para- 
ble, and  by  examples  from  the  Avord  of  God,  that  in 
persevering  entreaties  there  is  peculiar  efficacy.  To 
deny  this  is  to  deny  that  Paul  was  inspired  to  urge  us 
to  continue  in  prayer  ;  it  is  to  deny  that  in  the  lives 
of  Jacob  and  Moses  there  was  anything  commendable ; 
it  is  to  affirm  that  in  the  Syrophenician  woman  and 
blind  Bartimeus  Christ  encouraged  undevout  impu- 
dence, and  that  in  the  parable  of  the  importunate 
widow  he  burlesques  all  prayer. 


148  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

No  one  maintains  that  in  every  instance  persever- 
ing prayer  will  be  crowned  by  the  bestowment  of  that 
which  is  sought.  The  object  of  petition  must  be 
aG:reeable  to  the  divine  will.  Wherever  there  is  con- 
tingency  and  reasonable  uncertainty,  absolute  success 
may  not,  of  course,  be  expected.  We  remember  Abra- 
ham's intercession  for  Sodom,  six  times  in  succession 
pleading  for  the  devoted  city;  yet  he  soon  saw  the 
shower  of  fire  and  brimstone  descend.  We  remember 
how  David  continued  seven  days  in  fasting  and  sup- 
plication for  his  sick  child,  and  that  when  death  en- 
sued he  told  his  servants,  ^^  While  the  child  was  yet 
alive  I  fasted  and  wept ;  for  I  said,  Who  can  tell 
whether  God  Avill  be  gracious  to  me  that  the  child 
may  live  ?  But  now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I 
fast  ?     Can  I  bring  him  back  again  ?  *' 

We  remember  that  Christ  himself,  who  had  said,  "  I 
know  that  thou  hearest  me  always,"  in  Gethsemane 
prayed,  ^^  0  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup 
pass  from  me  !  '*  that  the  second  and  third  time  even 
he  went  away  using  the  same  words  ;  and  yet  the  cup 
did  not  pass  from  him. 

Let  it  not  be  said,  as  is  sometimes  done  with  more 
of  point  than  of  truth,  that  Abraham  ceased  praying 
before  God  ceased  answering.  He  stopped  none  too 
soon.  Let  it  not  be  said  that  David  ever  prayed  more 
acceptably  than  for  the  life  of  his  child,  which,  how- 
ever, died  in  the  midst  of  his  intercession.  It  was  not 
the  whole  of  his  desire  that  the  child  might  recover. 
The  stronger  wish  with  him  w^as  that  God  would 
do  what  in  his  wisdom  he  saw  best.  All  of  Christ's 
prayer  that  could  be  answered  was  answered  ;  for  his 


PERSEVERANCE.  149 

petition  was  not  unconditionally  that  the  cup  mig]it 
pass  from  him  ;  in  deep  and  holy  earnestness  he  cried, 
'•  Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  That 
was  a  -part  of  his  persevering  entreaty. 

In  all  cases  where  the  answer  is  delayed  or  denied, 
God  has  an  ulterior  object  in  view,  more  important 
than  the  one  which  the  petitioner  directly  desires. 
Whenever  God  apparently  does  not  hear,  he  tries  the 
faith  and  patience  of  the  believer ;  he  designs  to 
deepen  the  impression  that  favors  from  heaven  are 
not  lightly  to  be  won.  Prayer  is  not  a  thing  of  humor 
or  caprice,  a  duty  that  binds  and  a  privilege  to  be 
sought  only  at  our  convenience.  The  slave  of  whims 
loses  both  his  petition  and  the  benefits  of  refusal ;  but 
he  who  devotes  himself  to  an  untiring  importunity  of 
devout  effort  will  obtain  all  that  can  be  obtained,  and 
in  its  least  amount  it  will  prove  a  large  blessing. 

Never  does  a  Christian  rise  to  the  due  appreciation 
of  his  privileges  and  responsibilities  unless  he  attains 
to  that  sanctified  energy  of  will  which  presses  a  suit 
before  the  throne  till  God  bid  him  cease  to  pray.  It  is 
an  abominable  pride  which  can  brook  no  repulse  or 
delay.  Guilty  unbelief  palsies  the  tongue  of  the  sup- 
pliant. It  ought  to  be  one  of  our  most  firmly-settled 
convictions,  not  only  that  God  hears  prayer,  but  that 
perseverance  in  the  same  is  indispensable,  and  has 
peculiar  power.  He  delights  to  have  his  palace-door 
thronged  by  petitioners.  No  music,  not  the  deep  bass 
of  the  cataract,  not  the  joyful  concert  of  winged  tribes, 
not  the  choir  and  organ  of  our  sanctuaries,  not  the 
loudest,  longest  hallelujahs  of  earth,  are  so  grateful  to 
the  ear  of  the  God  of  Sabaoth  as  the  untiring  suppli- 

13* 


150  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

cations  of  his  children.  Nothing  is  there  within  the 
range  of  legitimate  petition  but  what  may  thus  be 
reverently  extorted. 

Who  would  be  disheartened  by  delays  ?  God  has 
his  postponements  as  well  as  appointments.  ^  He  is  as 
kind,  as  wise,  in  the  one  as  in  the  other.  Rebuffs 
should  only  foster  heroism  of  faith.  Out  of  discour- 
agements the  believer  should  gather  hope,  and  be 
stimulated  to  an  invincible  constancy  of  faith,  to  an 
unyielding,  holy  inflexibility  of  soul,  which  is  most 
pleasing  to  Heaven. 

1  Habet  Deus  suas  horas  et  moras. 


VII. 

AUXILIARIES    TO    PRAYER 


I.     DEVOTIONAL    CULTURE   REQL^RED. 

'ABOR  is  the  lot  of  man.  Those  who  feel 
neither  the  necessity  nor  disposition  to 
work  are  objects  of  commiseration.  Is 
it  not  one  of  the  severest  visitations  of 
God  when  he  takes  away  the  power  of 
adding,  by  personal  effort,  to  the  gen- 
eral stock  of  public  good?  The  only 
capital  on  which  any  community  can 
rely  is  its  industry.  Labor  is  the  ulti- 
mate standard  of  valuation  for  everything  exchange- 
able in  the  great  mart  of  the  world.  The  sweat  of 
man's  face  is  the  original  coin  which  has  purchased  all 
we  possess,  real  or  personal. 

This  familiar  law  of  political  economy  holds  also  in 
that  kingdom  of  which  the  people  of  God  are  spirit- 
ually citizens.  Though  a  kingdom  of  grace;  it  is  a 
kingdom  of  effort.  Its  industrial  system  is  more  uni- 
form, simple,  and  certain,  than  is  ever  found  in  those 
kingdoms  which  are  of  this  world.  ^lore  true  is  it 
here  that  "  he  becometh  poor  that  dealeth  Avith  a  slack 
hand  ;  but  the  hand  of  the  diligent  maketh  rich."  In 
this  holy  commonwealth  are  no  hereditary  estates,  no 
treasures  for  the  idler  to  light  upon.     Whoever  would 

131 


152  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

become  rich  in  faith,  or  any  other  Christian  excellence, 
must  cultivate  the  grace  of  devotion. 

John  Newton  confesses,  "I  find,  in  my  own  case, 
the  principal  cause  of  my  leanness  and  unfruitfulness 
is  owing  to  an  unaccountable  backwardness  to  pray. 
I  can  write,  or  read,  or  converse,  or  hear,  with  a  ready 
will ;  but  prayer  is  more  spiritual  and  inward  than 
any  of  these  ;  and  the  more  spiritual  any  duty  is,  the 
more  my  carnal  heart  is  apt  to  start  from  it."  Does  not 
every  Christian  find  that  his  hidden  life  is  a  paradox  ? 
Does  it  not  seem  unaccountable  to  him  that  an  exer- 
cise so  easy  and  delightful  should  be  so  slighted  by 
him  ;  that  it  should  sometimes,  when  performed,  ap- 
pear tedious  ;  that  it  should  be  crowded  with  vagrant 
thoughts  ;  that  sinful  desires  should  obtrude  in  the 
very  midst  of  penitent  confession?  This  is  only  an 
exhibition  of  the  living  inconsistency  which  pervades 
the  heart  of  every  believer,  one  form  of  the  contest 
between  the  law  in  the  members  and  the  implanted 
principle  of  grace. 

Consciousness  of  guilt,  so  far  as  unaccompanied  by 
penitence,  disposes  the  offender,  like  our  first  parents, 
to  hide  himself,  instead  of  promptly  seeking  the  face 
of  his  heavenly  Father.  When  prayer  is  actually 
offered,  some  ebullition  of  the  unsanctified  nature  not 
unfrequently  mars  the  whole.  '^  How  often,"  exclaims 
Thomas  Goodwin,  '^  when  God  had  even  granted  a  pe- 
tition, and  the  decree  was  coming  forth,  and  the  grant 
newly  w^ritten,  and  the  seal  setting  to  it,  but  an  act 
of  treason,  coming  between,  stops  it  in  the  seal,  and 
defers  it,  blots  and  blurs  all,  both  prayer  and  grant 
when  newly  written,  and  leaves  a  guilt  in  the  mind, 


DEVOTIONAL    CULTURE    REQUIRED.  153 

which  quells  our  hopes,  and  then  we  look  no  more 
after  our  prayers.*' 

Everything  inconsistent  with  a  genuine  spirit  of 
piety  is  at  variance  with  ]Drayer.  Specifications  might 
be  made  as  numerous  as  the  manifold  defects  of  jevery 
heart  not  yet  wholly  cleansed.  Sacred  Scripture 
makes  particular  mention  of  an  unforgiving  temper: 
"  For  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
will  your  heavenly  Father  forgive  you."  While  the 
feeling  of  forgiveness  on  the  part  of  an  injured  per- 
son is  not  the  ground  of  God's  forgiveness  of  him,  it  is 
a  condition,  as  much  as  repentance  and  faith.  The 
person  who  cannot  exercise  this  evangelical  temper 
toward  even  his  worst  enemies  lacks  an  essential  evi- 
dence of  being  in  a  justified  state.  There  is  partic- 
ular fitness  in  this  grace  when  an  individual  applies  to 
the  Father  of  mercies  for  any  favor.  God  has  far  more 
to  overlook  and  forbear  in  us  than  wo  can  ever  have 
occasion  to  do  in  others.  Much  as  any  may  injure  us, 
they  cannot  be  guilty  of  such  high-handed  offences 
against  us  as  we  have  been  guilty  of  against  God. 
For  the  unforgiving  to  ask  remission  is  then  altogether 
unreasonable  and  arrogant.  Their  state  of  mind  is  in- 
consistent with  any  gracious  exercise,  is  unsuited  to 
every  blessing,  and  of  course  quite  sufiicient  to  vitiate 
the  whole  of  prayer.  The  same  may  be  said,  and  for 
the  same  reason,  in  regard  to  any  other  form  of  ill-will. 

It  becomes  a  question  of  no  small  moment,  What  is 
one's  real  place  on  the  scale  of  devoutness  ?  That  po- 
sition is  to  be  determined  not  by  theoretical  views  so 
much  as  by  one's  habit  of  heart.  Religiously  a  man  is 
what  his  heart  is  before  the  mercy-seat.     If  love  to 

13 


154  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

God  and  fixitli  in  Christ  draw  him  there,  and  hold  him 
there,  he  is  a  child  of  the  Highest,  an  heir  of  heaven. 
If  seldom  or  never  there,  or  if,  when  he  is  there,  his 
heart  is  somewhere  else,  has  be  a  right  to  regard  him- 
self as  anything  but  an  alien  ?  Piety  without  prayer 
is  a  paradox ;  prayer  without  faith  is  impious. 

The  scale  is  a  long  one  which  marks  all  the  degrees 
from  positive,  devout  belief  in  God,  through  a  ques- 
tioning of  his  existence,  strongly  doubting  his  exist- 
ence, to  atheism  and  anti-theism.  Answering  to  this 
gradation  of  speculative  unbelief,  there  are  modes  of 
religious  aifection,  from  the  purest  worship  to  the 
fiercest  and  most  impudent  refusal  to  acknowledge 
God's  government.  There  is  a  depth  of  wickedness, 
and  there  can  be  none  lower,  from  which  comes  up 
the  hideous,  defiant  inquiry,  "What  is  the  Almighty 
that  we  should  serve  him  ?  And  what  profit  should 
we  have  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?  " 

Painstaking  in  devotional  culture  is  clearly  needful. 
It  might  at  the  first  thought  seem  sufficient  to  throw 
out  general  hints  in  regard  to  cherishing  those  graces 
specially  needful  in  the  performance  of  acceptable 
prayer.  It  is  true  that  growth  in  humility,  peni- 
tence, and  faith,  severally,  is  indispensable  to  prog- 
ress herein ;  but  a  more  specific  aim  and  efibrt  are 
required.  This  privilege  of  reverent  converse  with 
God  is  loved  by  no  one  as  it  ought  to  be  ;  it  is  only 
a  few  who  resort  to  it  with  such  frequency  as  they 
should.  There  seems  to  be  a  strange  and  perverse 
reluctance  to  reap  the  full  benefit  of  so  wonderful  a 
medium  of  communication  between  heaven  and  earth. 
This  waywardness  shows  itself  in  part  by  a  content- 


DEVOTIONAL    CULTURE    TvEQUIIlED.  155 

ment  with  the  mere  form  of  prayer,  or  with  a  very  low 
degree  of  its  spirit.  Hence  the  need  of  distinct  and 
resolute  purpose,  and  of  specific  effort.  Faint  desires 
lead  only  to  feeble  purposes  and  inefficient  action. 
Comfort  and  profit  are  reserved  as  a  reward  for  those 
who  with  decision  and  perseverance  seek  a  worthy 
object. 

No  remarkably  wicked  acts  are  recorded  of  Jero- 
boam ;  but  this  is  laid  against  him  as  a  grievous 
charge,  that  he  prepared  not  his  heart  to  seek  the 
Lord.  It  is  for  a  lamentation  when  believers  do  not 
stir  up  themselves  to  take  hold  on  God,  —  to  take  hold 
like  wrestling  Jacob,  and  to  keep  hold  in  a  resolute  per- 
severance. Men  never  seek  God  unawares.  Dozing 
is  no  auxiliary  to  devotion.  "Wake  up,  my  glory," 
says  the  royal  Psalmist.  He  chides  and  challenges 
himself,  "  Wh}^  art  thou  cast  down,  0  my  soul  ?  " 

Pains,  and  a  great  deal  of  pains,  are  needful.  Pass- 
ing providences  should  be  improved,  and  occasion 
taken  from  everything  read,  heard,  and  witnessed  to 
stir  up  the  soul.  If  we  look  for  a  visit  from  him,  we 
must  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord.  If  we  expect  him 
to  tarry  with  us,  there  must  be  solicitous  effort  to  con- 
ciliate and  please  him  in  everything. 

How  should  his  special  visits  be  prized !  Without 
incurring  any  reasonable  suspicion  of  enthusiasm,  we 
may  ascribe  to  an  unusual  divine  influence  those  hours 
of  more  elevated  converse  with  Heaven  to  which  no 
Christian  is  wholly  a  stranger.  In  the  stillness  of 
midnight,  in  the  lonely  walk,  in  the  assembly  of  saints, 
in  meditation  upon  God's  Word,  there  are  moments 
when  the  soul  seems  to  be   caught  up  to  the  third 


156  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

heaven.  It  enjoys  an  enlargement  of  view  quite  un- 
wonted. The  unseen  Jehovah  makes  his  presence 
felt ;  he  vouchsafes  to  the  humble  and  adoring  be- 
liever an  enrapturing  familiarity.  When,  therefore,  a 
feeling  of  peculiar  reverence  and  devout  aspiration 
comes  over  the  soul,  obey  the  heavenly  impulse.  It 
is  a  divine  whisper  to  the  heart,  a  hint  from  the  King 
of  kings  that  now  is  a  favorable  season  for  conference 
in  the  royal  chamber. 


II.    READING    OF    SCRIPTURE. 

The  two  Testaments  form  a  progressive  text-book 
for  the  study  of  this  inexhaustible  subject.  In  no  other 
way  can  the  spirit  of  prayer  be  so  effectually  pro- 
moted as  by  the  careful  reading  of  sacred  Scripture 
with  a  view  to  this  end.  Here  is  our  authoritative 
standard  of  faith  and  practice.  Here  are  we  taught 
our  character,  wants,  and  destiny.  Here  is  made 
known  the  truth,  paramount  to  all  others,  that  if  any 
man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus 
Christ  the  righteous.  Here  the  eflScacy  of  prayer  is 
affirmed  and  illustrated.  Here  are  specimens  of  the 
devout  exercises  of  holy  men  in  Bible  times.  Here, 
in  the  Law,  the  Psalms,  and  the  Prophets,  in  the  in- 
structions of  Christ  and  the  apostles,  are  the  spirit 
and  language  for  a  universal  liturgy.  This  scroll, 
bearing  his  own  countersign,  has  God  sent  from  on 
high,  that  with  it  we  may  gain  admittance  to  his  au- 
dience-chamber ;  and  here  alone  is  found  in  its  purity 
the  dialect  spoken  at  the  court  of  the  Great  King. 


READING     OF     SCRIPTURE.  157 

Thrice  happy  they  who  submit  themselves  to  such 
tuition  !  Shall  it  be  a  boast  that  one  was  born  in  Tar- 
sus, no  mean  city  for  its  literary  advantages  ;  that  one 
walked  in  the  groves  of  Academus ;  that  one  has 
taken  lessons  of  the  best  masters,  and  graduated  at 
the  oldest  university ;  and  shall  it  not  be  a  matter  of 
rejoicing  that  we  may  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  Great 
Teacher,  who  is  wisdom  itself;  that  we  may  drink  at 
the  fountain  of  perennial  truth,  and  learn  the  rudi- 
m.ents  of  that  heavenly  science  which  is  to  ennoble 
sanctified  intellects  through  everlasting  ages? 

"  Give  me,"  said  Herder,  in  the  exhaustion  of  sick- 
ness,—  '^  Give  me  a  noble  thought  to  refresh  me 
withal ! "  Does  not  the  Holy  Ghost  fill  our  feverish 
and  debilitated  souls  with  noble  thoughts  to  refi'esh 
them  withal?  —  the  thought  of  God  and  the  Lamb; 
the  thought  of  glory  unspeakable ;  the  thought  of  an- 
gelic society  and  heavenly  music ;  all  the  blessedness 
of  New  Jerusalem,  the  way  of  securing  it  hereafter, 
and  of  anticipating  it  now  ;  the  way  of  present,  con- 
stant approach  to  the  mercy-seat  ? 

Concerning  prayer,  its  scope  and  privilege,  may 
God  never  abandon  us  to  the  teachings  merely  of  the 
best  of  parents  and  best  of  preachers,  but  may  the 
Holy  Spirit  come  and  guide  into  all  truth. 

With  the  martyr  Ridley  we  cry,  "0  Heavenly 
Father,  the  author  and  fountain  of  all  truth,  the  bot- 
tomless sea  of  all  understanding,  send  down,  we  be- 
seech thee,  thy  Holy  Spirit  into  our  hearts,  and  lighten 
our  understandings  vrith  the  beams  of  thy  heavcDly 
grace.     We  ask  this,  0  merciful  Father,  not  in  respect 

14 


lo»  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

of  our  deserts,  but  for  thy  dear  Son,  our  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ's  sake.     Amen." 

One  of  tlie  main  uses  to  be  made  of  Holy  Writ  as  a 
devotional  auxihary  is  to  study  the  promises,  so  ex- 
ceeding great  and  precious.  To  the  man  of  business, 
to  the  student  of  history,  to  any  one  conversant  v/ith 
human  affairs,  the  very  word  promise  suggests  disap- 
pointment. It  calls  up  sad  instances  of  unfaithfulness 
and  perfidy.  Want  of  promptness,  want  of  upright- 
ness, through  all  gradations,  from  the  slightest  failure 
in  meeting  engagements  to  the  grossest  frauds,  rise 
painfully  to  view.  The  very  staple  of  social  inter- 
course and  historic  record  is  largely  made  up  of  vio- 
lated marriage  vows,  pecuniary  obligations,  official  and 
international  pledges.  In  worldly  associations  the 
phrase  "  great  promises "  either  awakens  distrust  or 
a  smile. 

With  peculiar  joy  do  we  turn  from  secular  to  sacred 
associations,  from  man  to  God.  Bible  promises  are 
given  by  One  who  knows  what  he  is  able  and  will  be 
called  upon  to  do ;  One  who  never  speaks  hastily  or 
insincerely. 

Those  suffering  from  the  excited,  deranged,  crippled 
monetary  world,  must  regard  with  particular  interest 
a  class  of  promissory  notes  that  are  never  protested. 
Here  are  bills  of  exchange  drawn  b}^  Him  in  whose 
right  is  all  the  real  estate  of  the  universe,  on  Him  in 
Avhom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge, and  in  favor  of  all  who  are  in  want  and  will 
accept  of  them. 

Look  at  the  promises  with  respect  to  their  tenor. 
Some  of  them  are  absolute  and  universal,  suspended 


READING     OF     SCRIPTURE.  159 

upon  no  condition,  restricted  to  no  class.  Here  is  a 
specimen:  ^^  The  Lord  will  give  strength  unto  his 
people  ;  the  Lord  will  bless  his  people  with  peace." 
Such  are  of  the  most  general  character,  pertaining  to 
the  whole  body  of  believers ;  by  their  universality 
and  the  absence  of  all  conditions  they  approach  the 
line  which  divides  promises  from  predictions. 

Most  Scripture  promises,  however,  have  a  limiting 
element.  Their  performance  is  conditioned  upon  quali- 
ties or  doings  on  the  part  of  those  addressed.  This  is 
a  characteristic  of  vital  importance.  It  is  failure  in 
regard  to  the  required  conditions  which  makes  so 
many  pervert  the  promises,  or  wonder  why  they  are 
not  fulfilled.  How  much,  for  instance,  is  made  to 
depend  upon  humility,  faith,  and  Christian  affection! 
Thus,  through  nearly  the  Avhole  range  of  promises, 
few  of  them  are  absolute ;  nearly  all  are  addressed  to 
character  and  conduct;  and  hence  they  harmonize  so 
well  with  the  great  designs  of  probation,  serving  as 
healthful  incitements  to  holy  obedience  and  to  all  the 
Christian  virtues. 

Look  at  the  scope  of  the  promises.  Many  were 
given  to  individuals.  Of  these,  some  are  intentionally 
limited  to  the  parties  receiving  them.  Such  was  the 
pledge  of  a  child  to  Sarah,  to  Manoah,  and  to  Hannah ; 
such  the  pledge  of  continued  life  to  Gideon ;  also  to 
the  king  of  Judah ;  and  Christ's  to  the  centurion.  Of 
the  same  nature  was  the  stipulation  of  a  peaceful  death 
to  Josiah.  ''  The  Lord  said  to  Gideon,  Surely  I  will 
be  with  thee,  and  thou  shalt  smite  the  Gibeonites ; " 
and  to  David,  "  Pursue,  for  thou  shalt  surely  overtake 
them,  and  without  fail  recover  all.'^ 


160  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Instances  also  occur  of  pledges  to  individuals,  which 
were  designed  to  be  generalized  and  appropriated  by 
any  under  similar  circumstances.  Such  was  the  one 
to  Moses:  ''My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I 
will  give  thee  rest."  Such  the  promise  to  the  PhiUp- 
pian  jailer :  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved." 

Some  were  given  to  particular  classes,  churches,  or 
communities,  yet  with  the  design  of  a  lasting  applica- 
tion. Here  may  be  instanced  Christ's  parting  assur- 
ance to  his  ministering  servants  :  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alwa}^  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world ; "  and  by  the 
mouth  of  an  apostle  this:  "When  the  chief  Shepherd 
shall  appear,  ye  shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory  that 
fadeth  not  away."  Was  it  only  for  the  church  at 
Corinth  that  Paul  wrote,  "  God  is  faithful,  who  will 
not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able, 
but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a  way  to 
escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it"?  or  only  for 
that  at  Philippi,  "  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need, 
according  to  his  riches  of  glory  by  Christ  Jesus  "  ? 

Some  are  of  a  mixed  character,  and  some,  though 
made  to  the  Jews,  for  instance,  as  a  body,  or  to  indi- 
viduals, contain  assurances  widely  and  perpetually 
apphcable  :  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters  I 
will  be  with  thee,  and  through  the  rivers  they  shall 
not  overflow  thee  ;  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire 
thou  shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle 
upon  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel,  thy  Saviour."  To  many  a  one  in  later  times 
has  that  proved  exceeding  great  and  precious.  Many 
a  one,  also,  in  periods  of  financial  distress,  or  amidst 


READING     OF     SCRIPTURE.  161 

wars  and  rumors  of  war,  has  been  enabled  to  maintain 
quietness  of  soul  by  the  power  of  some  such  decla- 
ration. If  we  open  the  New  Testament,  similar  gra- 
cious guarantees  —  and  how  abundant!  —  are  at  hand: 
"  The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds,  through  Christ 
Jesus." 

In  regard  to  fulfilment,  if  there  is  no  specification 
of  time  there  is  of  course  latitude.  The  pledge,  for 
example,  to  each  believer  of  final  blessedness  is  made 
good  only  at  the  time  appointed,  though  unknown  till 
then  to  the  one  departing.  So,  too,  the  blessings  secured 
to  children  of  believing  parents  may  be  long  delayed, 
yet  are  sure  to  come.  Many  years  did  Abraham  wait 
before  the  promised  son  was  born  to  him,  and  David 
before  he  sat  upon  the  throne  pledged  to  him,  and  Sim- 
eon before  he  took  the  infant  Jesus  in  his  arms,  accord- 
ing as  it  had  been  "  revealed  unto  him  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  he  should  not  sec  death  before  he  had  seen 
the  Lord's  Christ."  Four  hundred  years  elapsed 
between  the  announcement  by  Malachi  and  the  appear- 
ance of  John  the  Baptist,  and  more  than  four  hundred 
from  the  promise  of  Canaan  to  the  descendants  of 
Abraham  and  its  fulfilment  under  Joshua ;  while  four 
thousand  years  rolled  away  between  the  great  evan- 
gelic pledge  to  our  first  parents  and  the  personal 
coming  of  Him  who  has  bruised  the  serpent's  head. 
With  God  a  thousand  years  are  as  one  day. 

The  chief  liberty,  so  to  speak,  which  God  takes  in 
regard  to  any  promise,  is  often  to  do  more  than  he 
appears  to  have  stipulated.  Many  a  believer  finds  him 
seemingly  better  than  his  word ;  no  one  ever  found 

14* 


162  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

him  worse.  Frequently  does  he  bestow  beyond  the 
request  as  well  as  beyond  the  promise.  To  Zacharias, 
stricken  dumb,  he  engaged  to  restore  speech,  but 
added  the  gift  of  prophecy.  The  country  of  Canaan 
alone  was  in  the  bond,  but  he  gave  to  the  children  of 
Israel  a  kingdom  beside.  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the 
things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him." 

These  pledges  become  the  property  of  those  only 
who  accept  them ;  and  it  is  by  faith  alone  that  they 
are  appropriated.  This  is  the  faith  which  primarily 
takes  hold  of  the  atoning  righteousness  of  Christ, 
whereby  comes  "  the  knowledge  of  him  "  and  a  living 
•union  with  him.  It  is  a  distinctive,  decisive,  intelli- 
gent act  of  the  soul,  through  the  special  grace  of  God ; 
no  random  matter,  a  result  of  education,  of  circum- 
stances, an  opinion  taken  on  credit ;  a  notion  picked 
up  by  the  way,  which,  borne  about  by  rumor,  happened 
to  be  found  only  because  the  country  is  a  Christian 
one ;  it  is  trusting  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
sacrificed  Lamb  of  God,  bearing  the  sins  of  many, 
made  sin  for  us,  expiating  the  guilt  of  men,  and  pro- 
pitiating the  favor  of  God,  so  that  he  can  consistently 
give  and  fulfil  promises  to  them.  ''  For  all  the  prom- 
ises of  God  in  him  are  yea  and  in  him  amen."  Only  by 
taking  Christ  can  any  one  receive  and  hold  to  a  prom- 
ise of  God.  Is  it  not  presumption  for  any  one  reject- 
ing the  Great  Mediator  of  the  covenant  to  think  of 
appropriating  to  himself  any  provision  of  the  cove- 
nant? "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the 
witness  in  himself;  he  that  believeth  not  God  hath 


BEADING     OF     SCRIPTURE.  1G3 

made  him  a  liar ;  because  he  beHeveth  not  the  record 
that  God  gave  of  his  Son." 

All  hesitating  souls  may  be  assured  that  the  prom- 
ises are  designed  for  every  one  who  believes,  for  one 
as  truly  as  for  another.  The  differences  of  race,  rank, 
and  age,  are  disregarded  :  ^^  For  there  is  no  difference 
^between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek  ;  for  the  same  Lord 
over  all  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him."  It  is  a 
great  mistake,  and  goes  to  rob  Christ's  household  of 
an  inheritance,  to  say  that  no  individual  has  a  right  to 
apply  a  promise  specifically  to  himself,  because  he  is 
not  mentioned  by  name.  With  equal  propriety  might 
it  be  objected  that  a  given  commandment  is  not  bind- 
ing upon  all,  or  upon  any,  because  not  addressed  to 
every  one  personally  by  name.  All  in  the  class  con- 
templated are  as  truly  and  particularly  embraced  as  if 
they  were  called  out  singly  one  by  one.  Do  those  in 
open  day  need  an  individual  warrant  for  drinking  in 
the  light  and  air  of  heaven  ? 

While  every  believer  is  an  "  heir  of  promise,"  he  is 
heir  to  all  promises.  Rightly  to  apprehend  one  is  to 
indicate  a  right  in  the  whole.  Each  is  an  integral  part 
of  the  great  provision  available  to  every  one  so  far  as 
there  is  need.  The  believer's  title  to  a  part  is  a  title 
to  all,  as  the  owner  of  a  field  has  secured  to  him  not 
only  the  surface,  but  all  beneath  it,  to  the  centre  of  the 
earth. 

How  ample  is  the  encouragement  thus  afforded ! 
We  are  supplied  with  the  stipulations  of  unchanging 
love.  They  are  an  exhaustless  treasury,  on  which  we 
may  draw  to  the  largest  amount  of  faith  and  hope. 
He  who  cannot  lie  speaks  in  the  clearest  manner  by 


164  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

way  of  assn ranee  ;  and  prayer  should  be  an  echo  from 
the  sanctified  soul  to  his  voice.  How  comprehensive 
are  his  guarantees,  indorsed  to  us  by  the  faithful  and 
true  Witness!  '^Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  what- 
soever ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will 
give  it  you."  Where  is  the  passage  that  would  re- 
press our  highest  reasonable  aspirations  ?  W^here  do 
we  find  ourselves  restricted  as  to  the  amount  of  any 
species  of  good  authorized  to  be  sought  ?  ^'  If  ye, 
then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto 
your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly 
Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him." 
Here  is  both  an  object  of  desire  and  the  efficient  cause 
of  all  truly  devout  and  enlarged  desires.  The  child 
of  God  needs  to  keep  in  mind  that  while  the  unaided 
wings  of  faith  and  love  can  never  bear  him  to  the 
throne  that  is  high  and  lifted  up ;  while  the  aid  of 
fellow-worshippers,  and  of  ministering  angels,  even, 
would  be  unavailing,  the  Holy  Spirit,  yes,  the  adorable 
Trinity,  are  graciously  engaged  in  his  behalf. 

One  sweet  pledge,  firmly  grasped,  is  enough  to  feed 
and  fortify  the  soul  anywhere.  "  I  had  rather,"  ex- 
claimed a  saint  of  former  times,  —  ''I  had  rather  be  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  with  a  promise  than  in  paradise 
without  one."  Amidst  the  decrepitude  of  advanced 
years,  the  promise  is  found  true,  "  Even  to  your  old 
age  I  am  he  ;  and  even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you." 
"  I  must  say,"  remarked  John  Brown  of  Haddington, 
with  holy  cheerfulness,  ^^  that  I  never  yet  found  God 
to  break  his  word  in  this,  no,  notwithstanding  all  the 
provocations  which  I  have  given  him." 

When  the  day  of  death  comes,  when  flesh  and  heart 


RETIREMENT     AND     MEDITATION.  165 

fail,  do  the  promises  fail  ?  They  are  sealed  to  us  by 
the  oath  of  the  Father,  the  blood  of  the  Sou,  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit.  All  manner  of  distresses,  deaths, 
yea,  and  spirits  of  darkness,  may  we  look  calmly  in  the 
face,  with  the  scroll  of  God's  promises  in  our  hand. 
In  our  troublous  voyage,  whatever  storms  are  encoun- 
tered, let  us  hold  bravely  on,  and  we  shall  round  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  our  way  to  more  than  golden 
Indies.  There  is  a  broad  galaxy,  a  whole  firmament 
studded  with  constellations,  overhead,  any  one  of 
which  is  enough  to  fill  the  mind  with  wonder  and  joy 
for  the  whole  life.  From  mid-heaven  hath  God  spoken, 
"  Say  ye  to  the  righteous,  it  shall  be  well  with  him." 


m.     RETIREMENT   AND    IMEDITATION. 

Seldom  does  a  fruit-tree  by  the  wayside  flourish,  and 
seldom  is  its  fruit  suffered  to  ripen.  The  soil  of  such 
an  exposed  situation  is  too  hard ;  there  is  too  much 
lawless  scarring  and  rude  treatment  of  all  kinds.  So 
with  the  person  who  is  always  in  the  midst  of  the  hur- 
rying to  and  fro  of  ordinary  life.  He  needs  to  be 
transplanted  to  a  more  genial  soil  and  situation.  If 
there  be  no  moisture  at  the  root,  there  will  be  none  in 
the  branches.  It  is  in  sacred  meditation,  alternating 
suitably  with  seasons  of  active  effort,  that  the  soul 
attains  most  of  holy  vigor. 

A  mere  glance  at  spiritual  objects  will  not  sufSce  ; 
fixed  contemplation  is  needed.  It  is  not  in  its  flight 
over  flowers  that  the  bee  gathers  honey ;  nor  is  it 
while  in  a  flutter  that  the  mind  extracts  what  is  pre- 


166  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

cious  ;  it  must  have  quiet  opportunity  to  supply  itself 
with  nutriment  and  sweetness.  This  is  true  in  regard 
to  any  object  of  thought,  but  preeminently  in  regard 
to  those  which  are  spiritual.  We  are  so  encompassed 
with  things  of  sense  that  a  special  endeavor  is  needed 
to  close  the  inlets  of  sensation,  to  withdraw  the  mind 
from  its  absorbing  occupancy  in  things  seen,  and  en- 
gage it  in  things  not  seen.  Strenuous  effort  may  be 
required,  but  it  must  be  made,  or  there  will  be  steril- 
ity in  the  soul.  Must  not  the  earth  be  digged  if  we 
expect  fruits  ?  and  is  not  the  same  true  in  spiritual 
husbandry  ?  Without  prayerful  meditation  upon  di- 
vine things  the  soul  will  become  a  turbid,  stagnant 
pool ;  with  it,  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  ever- 
lasting life. 

Devout  meditation  on  appropriate  themes  is  now 
suggested,  not  a  critical  inspection  or  logical  analysis 
of  them.  For  this  purpose  retirement  is  desirable.  In 
speaking  of  withdrawment  from  the  usual  place  or 
routine  of  labor,  we  speak,  of  course,  as  Protestants, 
and  do  not  mean  a  permanent  seclusion.  Mysticism 
and  monasticism  are  as  ineffectual  as  they  are  unscrip- 
tural.  There  has  been  in  all  ages  a  limited  class  of 
minds  predisposed  to  tranquillity  and  contemplation, 
and  to  a  more  or  less  pantheistic  way  of  thinking ;  to 
the  belief  that  the  human  soul  is  an  emanation  from 
the  divine  nature,  and  that  this  celestial  spark,  being 
smothered,  needs  to  be  kindled  by  slibjugating  the 
body,  by  disengaging  the  attention  from  outward 
things,  and  by  deep,  calm,  inward  meditation,  as  it  is 
called.  In  unrenewed  minds  this  tendency  develops 
itself  under  forms  thoroughly  antagonistic  to  evangel- 


RETIREMENT     AND     MEDITATION.  167 

ical  Christianity,  as  ma}^  be  seen  in  a  few  popular  writ- 
ers and  lecturers.  In  minds  not  skeptically  disposed 
it  may  take  the  form  of  Quakerism  or  perfectionism. 

In  early  times,  this  element  led  some  to  a  hermit 
life ;  and  in  the  Romish  Church  it  has  peopled  monas- 
teries and  convents.  Pure  Christianity  must  be  much 
more  widely  and  powerfully  diffused  before  there  shall 
be  a  complete  want  of  disappointed  and  visionary  per- 
sons, some  younger,  some  older,  who  will  sing,  — 

"  How  happy  is  the  lonely  vestal's  lot, 
The  world  forgetthig,  by  the  world  forgot ;  " 

and  who  by  one  rash  act  will  go  into  irrecoverable 
self-banishment.  To  such  civil  or  social  death  there 
pertains,  scarcely  less  of  guilt  than  to  literal  suicide. 

"  For  solitude,  however  some  may  rave, 
Seeming  a  sanctuary,  proves  a  gi-ave, 
A  sepulchre  in  which  the  living  lie, 
Where  all  good  qualities  grow  sick  and  die." 

While  none  may  lead  the  life  of  a  recluse,  withdraw- 
ing permanently  from  required  labors,  there  is  a  dan- 
ger on  the  other  hand,  too.  Our  lawful  avocations  are 
liable  to  exact  an  unlawful  interest.  They  often  ab- 
sorb and  secularize  the  soul.  This  will  always  be  the 
case,  unless  there  are  suitable  intervals  for  a  serious 
survey  of  life.  Only  in  such  a  survey  will  time  and 
eternity,  earth  and  heaven,  assume  their  relative  posi- 
tions. As  from  a  lofty  eminence  the  slighter  inequali- 
ties of  the  vale  beneath,  and  all  its  objects,  seem  re- 
duced to  insignificance,  so  is  it  on  the  Olivet  of  prayer 
and  meditation.  The  storehouse,  workshop,  and  draw- 
ing-room are  left  behind,  and  are  scarcely  visible  from 


168  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

that  holy  mountain.  The  nearer  we  get  to  heaven, 
the  smaller  docs  earth  seem. 

While  we  were  not  placed  in  the  world  with  a  view 
to  get  out  of  the  world ;  while  we  have  not  enlisted 
in  the  service  of  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation  in 
order  to  a  perpetual  furlough ;  yet  each  faithful  sol- 
dier and  laborer  needs  habitual  and  at  times  special 
rest, —  not  a  season  of  indolence,  but  of  holy  quiet. 
We  are  not  speaking  of  a  pastime,  but  of  a  Christian 
duty.  A  German  author,  a  physician  of  some  distinc- 
tion, wrote  a  work  on  solitude,  treating  it  as  if  that 
were  a  cure  for  almost  all  evils ;  but  in  his  whole  four 
volumes  there  is  scarcely  a  trace  of  religious  senti- 
ment, much  less  of  Christianity.  He  might  as  well 
have  prescribed  four  jars  of  sweetmeats  for  a'  patient 
lar  gone  with  dyspepsia.  The  poor  diseased  soul, 
never  in  this  life  more  than  barely  convalescent,  needs 
other  treatment,  —  needs  to  come  immediately  into  the 
hands  of  the  Great  Physician. 

The  leading  advantage  of  devout  retirement  is  a 
realization  of  God  to  the  soul.  To  be  thus  alone  is 
anything  but  solitude.  Then  as  at  no  other  time  is 
the  still  small  voice  heard,  and  it  is  found  how  little 
man  is  needed  when  God  is  enjoyed. 

In  contact  with  the  world,  we  become  more  or  less 
penetrated  by  its  spirit;  but  in  religious  retirement 
the  Holy  Spirit  dispossesses  the  soul  of  this  malign  in- 
fluence, and  it  becomes  healthfully  invigorated,  re-ac- 
quiring its  tone  and  devout  equipoise.  We  must  leave 
the  land  of  Egypt  if  we  would  find  manna. 

The  calm  meditation  enjoyed  in  such  retirement  is 
most  favorable  to  a  symmetrical  development  of  Chris- 


RETIREMENT     AND     MEDITATION.         169 

tian  character.  It  is  not  when  ships  are  under  way 
that  they  can  be  thoroughly  inspected  and  repaired, 
but  in  port  and  in  the  dock.  The  agitated  fountain 
must  have  a  little  time  of  quiet  before  it  will  reflect 
an  image  truthfully;  so  must  the  perturbed  soul  have 
periodical  rest  if  it  is  to  become  clear.  When  one 
withdraws  from  the  world,  how  do  inordinate  and  vain 
desires  abate ;  how  is  it  found  that  in  the  rapid  and 
bustling  movements  of  life  nothing  has  been  seen  dis- 
tinctly, but  all  is  a  confused  mass  of  houses,  hills, 
fields,  and  men  as  trees  walking ! 

How  mindful  was  Christ  of  the  comfort  of  those 
about  him  I  he  is  not  a  hard  master.  He  felt  himself 
the  need  of  temporary  retirement,  and  knew  well  how 
much  it  was  needed  by  the  twelve,  who  were  in  cir- 
cumstances quite  unfavorable  for  repose.  "He  said 
unto  them.  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert 
place,  and  rest  awhile  ;  for  there  were  many  coming 
and  going,  and  they  had  no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat." 

Occasional  seasons  will  present  themselves  when  de- 
vout meditation  may  be  protracted  to  greater  length 
and  in  a  more  thorough  manner  than  ordinarily.  Isaac 
Ambrose,  a  non-confoi*mist  minister  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  was  accustomed  once  a  year  to  retire  for  a 
whole  month  to  a  little  hut  in  a  wood,  and,  avoiding 
human  converse,  devote  himself  chiefly  to  contempla- 
tion. 

In  regard  to  the  place,  let  it  usually  be  the  same 
with  that  of  private  prayer ;  of  course  a  retired  one. 
Angels  do  not  let  down  their  ladder  amidst  a  crowd. 
The  celestial  dove  flies  from  all  noise.  It  is  not  fitting 
that  Jehovah  hold  his  court  where  the  din  of  earthly 

15 


170  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

tumult  is  heard.  Isaac  went  out  into  the  field  at 
evening  to  meditate. 

Let  not  such  as  are  unaccustomed  to  religious  re- 
tirement be  disheartened  by  first  failures  to  reap  an- 
ticipated fruits.  There  is  a  holy  skill  to  be  acquired 
in  the  use  of  this  privilege.  The  great  Adversary 
will  be  on  the  alert  to  spoil  the  hour  of  retreat.  How- 
ever earnest  your  desires  for  spiritual  benefits  in  an 
excursion  to  some  place  of  repose,  Satan  will  get 
there  before  you  do ;  and  a  whole  party  of  tempta- 
tions will  take  the  same  train  with  you.  It  is  spe- 
cially true  of  the  people  of  this  country  that  they  do 
not  know  how  to  enjoy  themselves,  do  not  understand 
the  art  of  secular  recreation ;  and  perhaps  they  are 
equally  unskilled  in  spiritual  recreations,  in  quiet,  holy 
diversions  of  soul.  It  is  much  easier  to  get  up  a  mon- 
ster gathering,  and  contribute  materially  to  a  great  ex- 
citement, than  to  sit  down  for  an  equal  period  in  ra- 
tional meditation.  It  is  quite  possible  that  some,  an- 
ticipating too  much,  or  perhaps  rushing  with  unintelli- 
gent vehemence  into  retirement,  will  find  themselves 
disappointed,  and  resolve  never  to  go  away  again  pri- 
vately into  a  desert  place.  Now  and  then  one  may 
grow  sullen  or  moody,  and  contract  a  distaste  for  the 
active  duties  of  life  ;  but  shall  we  blame  the  clear- 
flowing  stream  because  some  one  has  drowned  himself 
in  it? 

Make  a  business  of  getting  away  from  business  for 
devotional  purposes.  Go  to  the  mountain,  go  to  the 
sea-shore  ;  or,  if  a  longer  journey  is  impracticable,  still 
go  regularly  to  your  chamber ;  not  for  idly  discursive 
luusings,  not  for  a  paradise  of  ecstasies,  but  for  serious 


RETIREMENT     AND     MEDITATION.         171 

self-survey,  for  calm  communion  with  Him  who  seeth 
in  secret. 

Excitement  is  now  inaugurated  as  the  order  of  the 
day.  Many  seem  to  think  they  are  not  living  at  all  if 
not  getting  through  life  at  the  rate  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles  an  hour.  Many  seem  to  regard  the  whirlwind 
and  earthquake  not  only  as  productive  of  incidental 
benefits,  but  as  preferable  to  the  uniform  course  of 
nature.  By  common  consent  our  country  exhibits  an 
eminent  illustration  of  activity  and  restlessness,  of 
precocious  and  extreme  adventure,  of  a  general  and 
somewhat  unhealthy  intensiveness  of  impulse  and 
effort.  Our  usual  excitement  is  periodically  enhanced 
by  the  recurrence  of  those  political  floods  which  come 
at  each  Olympiad,  threatening  in  every  instance  to 
prevail  above  the  highest  hills  fifteen  cubits  upward. 

Now,  it  is  not  every  one's  business  to  become  ex- 
ceedingly nervous  and  anxious,  and  to  keep  so  all  the 
while,  even  though  there  is  a  great  deal  of  outrage 
and  iniquity  in  the  land.  In  behalf  of  Christ's  disci- 
ples, at  least,  and  in  the  name  of  a  holy,  quiet  heaven, 
we  protest  against  the  madness  of  public  agitators, 
against  the  combustion  of  a  perpetual  crisis,  against 
installing  uproar  as  the  only  legitimate  condition  of 
human  existence.  Neither  head  nor  heart  can  stand 
it.  Iron  even  will  disintegrate  under  constant  jarring. 
The  roar  of  public  conveyances,  the  rush  and  whirl  of 
the  business  world,  are  anything  but  favorable  to  calm 
converse  with  G-od.  All  this  renders  the  formino:  of 
proper  devotional  habits  doubly  important.  While 
schemers  and  demagogues  of  all  sorts  are  busy  in 
fomenting  public  turmoils;    while  everything,  impor- 


172  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

tant  and  unimportant,  of  public  and  private  interest,  is 
daily  obtruded  upon  general  attention  by  the  press, 
there  is  dang>er  lest  the  ornament  of  a  meek,  quiet, 
and  devout  spirit  vanish  from  the  earth.  The  dust  and 
din  of  our  bustling  age  serve  to  make  seasons  of 
devotional  retirement  and  of  earnest  supplication  all 
the  more  imperatively  necessary. 

Get  away,  then,  occasionally,  and  breathe  a  little ; 
rest  awhile.  Let  the  fluttering  nerves  be  quieted. 
Commune  with  your  own  heart  and  be  still.  Go  with 
a  resolute  purpose  to  gather  spiritual  fruits ;  only 
be  sure  that  in  going  you  have  Christ's  invitation  and 
Christ's  company. 

Fixed  attention  is  important,  and  there  should  be 
something  definitely  before  the  mind ;  otherwise,  con- 
stant digressions  and  idle  vagaries  will  occupy  and 
spoil  the  season.  As  an  intellectual  habit,  nothing  is 
more  important  than  the  power  of  intense  and  con- 
tinued attention.  This  is  one  characteristic  of  genius. 
When  complimented  on  his  force  of  mind  as  displayed 
in  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton replied  that  if  he  had  made  any  improvement 
in  those  sciences  it  was  owing  more  to  patient  atten- 
tion than  to  any  other  talent.  If  there  were  such  a 
thing  as  religious  genius,  it  would  show  itself  mainly 
in  the  power  of  devout  meditation.  Whatever  their 
habits  in  other  respects,  those  who  have  been  distin- 
guished for  piety  have  excelled  in  fixing  the  mind  on 
spiritual  objects. 

Why  is  it  that  we  offer  and  that  we  hear  so  many 
paralytic  prayers?  Is  it  not  because  the  topics  and 
encouragements  of  prayer  are  so  little  pondered  ?     In 


DEVOUT     FASTING.  173 

serious,  earnest  contemplation,  the  affections  will  kin- 
dle. Baxter,  in  Lis  sermon  at  the  funeral  of  Henry 
Ashurst,  says  of  that  eminent  Christian,  that,  rising  at 
four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  was  accustomed 
to  spend  two  hours  in  private  reading  and  meditation, 
followed  by  prayer.  What  experienced  Christian 
would  not  prefer  a  short  prayer  after  long  meditation 
to  a  long  prayer  without  meditation?  ^^  While  I  mused, 
the  fire  burned."  Would  you,  like  Enoch,  be  trans- 
lated? Would  you  fain  go  to  heaven  in  Elijah's 
chariot  of  fire  ?  Then  give  yourself  to  sacred  musings 
till  your  soul  cannot  help  taking  wing.  The  harp 
must  certainly  be  attuned  before  it  will  discourse 
sweet  music. 

IV.     DEVOUT    FASTING. 
No  one  can  fail  to  notice  that  the  desire  for  food. 


and  the  requisite  quantity,  depend  much  on  the  state 
of  the  mind.  Strong  emotions  of  any  kind  usually 
suspend  hunger  and  thirst  for  the  time.  Deep  grief 
produces  this  effect  oftener,  perhaps,  than  any  other 
feeling.  In  seasons  of  great  sorrow,  the  cravings  of 
hunger  are  always  in  a  measure  abated,  and  nature 
refuses  the  customary  amount  of  nourishment.  Vibrat- 
ing as  man  does  between  joy  and  sorrow,  it  is  natural 
that  he  should  alternately  amplify  and  abridge  his 
enjoyments  at  the  table ;  and  as  there  is  nothing  in 
view  of  which  we  ought  to  be  so  deeply  grieved  as 
our  sins,  there  is  an  obvious  demand  for  abstinence 
from  food  in  connection  with  special  humiliation  before 
God. 

15* 


174  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

This  constitutional  peculiarity  of  our  nature,  and 
certain  positive  institutions  of  the  Jewish  economy, 
together  with  apostolic  example,  substantiate  the  prin- 
ciple that  individuals,  churches,  and  civil  communities 
are  called  upon  to  observe  seasons  of  fasting  when- 
ever in  their  own  hearts  or  in  the  providence  of  God 
there  is  evident  occasion  for  so  doing.  In  the  Mosaic 
institute,  the  great  day  of  atonement  was  set  apart  as 
one  of  fasting,  and  the  only  one  in  the  year,  in  which 
food  was  forbidden  from  evening  to  evening.  Besides 
this  stated  season,  there  were  in  earlier  times  occa- 
sionally others  of  a  similar  character,  upon  the  occur- 
rence of  events  specially  adverse.  Thus,  after  the 
Israelites  had  been  defeated  by  the  men  of  Ai,  Joshua 
and  the  elders  of  Israel  remained  prostrate  before  the 
ark  from  morning  till  evening,  without  taking  food.  The 
same  was  done  by  the  eleven  tribes  which  took  up 
arms  against  that  of  Benjamin ;  and  still  later  the  Isra- 
elites resorted  to  this  at  Mizpeh,  when  hard  pressed 
by  the  Philistines.  David  in  one  instance  observed  a 
protracted  fast ;  Daniel,  also,  when  he  understood  that 
the  end  of  the  captivity  was  approaching.  None  of 
these  seasons,  however,  excepting  the  day  of  expia- 
tion, became  anniversary  till  the  time  of  the  cap- 
tivity. 

In  regard  to  the  manner  of  observance,  we  may 
notice  it  was  with  every  mark  of  grief.  The  people 
clad  themselves  with  sackcloth,  placed  ashes  on  their 
heads,  rent  their  garments,  and  on  public  occasions 
w^ept  and  prayed  aloud.  On  the  great  day  of  expia- 
tion more  than  usual  rigor  was  practised.  They  con- 
tinued  fasting,  it   is   said,  not   only  from   evening   to 


DEVOUT     FASTING.  175 

evening,  but  twenty-eight  hours.  Men  were  obhged 
to  conform  to  this  from  the  age  of  full  thirteen  years, 
and  women  from  the  age  of  full  eleven ;  while  children 
from  the  age  of  seven  years  fasted  in  proportion  to 
their  strength.  Occasional  fasting,  though  not  re- 
quired in  the  New  Testament,  was  evidently  practised 
by  the  apostles.  Such  was  the  case  when  they  or- 
dained Barnabas  and  Saul,  and  by  these  two  when,  in 
their  journey  through  Asia  Minor,  they  ordained  elders 
in  the  several  churches. 

In  the  ages  immediately  succeeding  the  apostolic 
times,  it  does  not  appear  that  the  same  importance 
was  attached  to  this  practice  as  afterward.  It  is  no- 
ticeable that  almost  nothing  is  to  be  found  upon  this 
subject  in  the  extant  writings  of  the  first  two  cen- 
turies. Even  so  voluminous  a  writer  as  Origen,  in  the 
third  century,  speaks  of  it  but  once.  Still,  it  is  well 
known  that  periodical  fasts  were  gradually  introduced, 
first  by  custom,  and  afterward  they  were  enforced  by 
law. 

Among  our  Pilgrim  fathers  religious  fasting  was  a 
frequent  and  welcome  practice.  Who  need  be  told 
that  the  Puritans  while  in  Holland  observed  occasional 
fasts,  or  that  the  portion  of  John  Robinson's  flock 
which  resolved  upon  emigration  to  this  country  had 
several  such  seasons  preparatory  to  their  undertaking, 
within  a  few  months  before  they  embarked  ?  Through 
our  colonial  history  occasions  of  this  kind  were  fre- 
quent, in  times  of  special  danger,  disaster,  or  drought ; 
in  connection  with  important  meetings  of  legislative 
and  ecclesiastical  bodies,  as  well  as  at  periods  of 
marked  religious  declension. 


176  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

The  practice  of  private  fasting  appears  to  have  been 
more  common  formerly  than  at  present.  Cotton  Mather 
remarks,  '^  Our  private  meetings  of  good  people  to 
pray  and  praise  God,  and  sometimes  to  spend  whole 
days  in  fasting  and  prayer,  especially  when  any  of  the 
neighborhood  are  in  affliction,  or  when  the  communion 
of  the  Lord's  table  is  approaching,  do  still  abound 
among  us."  As  illustrative  of  the  practice  among  the 
early  preachers  of  New  England,  a  few  instances  may 
well  be  cited.  In  regard  to  the  first  three  ministers 
of  the  oldest  church  in  Boston,  and  especially  of  Cot- 
ton and  Norton,  it  is  recorded  that  they  would  often 
spend  whole  days  in  the  study,  engaged  in  fasting,  hu- 
miliation, and  prayer.  Of  John  Eliot  it  is  said,  '^  He 
not  only  made  it  his  daily  practice  to  enter  into  his 
closet  and  shut  the  door  and  pray  to  his  Father  in 
secret,  but  he  would  not  rarely  set  apart  whole  days 
for  prayer  with  fasting  in  secret  places  before  the  God 
of  heaven.  Prayer  solemnized  with  fasting  was  in- 
deed so  agreeable  unto  him,  that  I  have  sometimes 
thought  he  might  justly  inherit  the  name  of  Johannes 
Jrjunator,  or  John  the  Faster,  which  for  the  like 
reason  was  put  upon  one  of  the  renowned  ancients. 
Especially  when  there  was  any  remarkable  difficulty 
before  him,  he  took  this  way  to  encounter  and  over- 
come it.  He  could  say,  as  the  pious  Robertson  did 
upon  his  death-bed,  '  I  thank  God  I  have  loved  fasting 
and  prayer  with  all  my  heart ! '  "  Thomas  Hooker,  the 
most  celebrated  of  the  early  ministers  of  Connecticut, 
devoted  one  day  every  month  to  private  prayer  with 
lasting,  in  addition  to  the  public  fasts,  which  occurred 
not  unfrequently. 


DEVOUT     FASTING.  177 

Opening  the  biography  of  David  Brainerd,  a  name 
which  will  never  cease  to  be  associated  with  deep  re- 
ligious experience,  we  find  in  the  published  extracts 
from  his  journal  there  are  recorded  ten  instances  as 
observed  by  him  within  a  period  of  little  more  than 
two  years.     Here  is  a  specimen  :  — 

^^  January  G,  1744.  Feeling  my  extreme  weakness 
and  want  of  grace,  the  pollution  of  my  soul,  and  dan- 
ger of  temptations  on  every  side,  I  set  apart  this  day 
for  fasting  and  prayer,  neither  eating  nor  drinking 
from  evening  to  evening,  beseeching  God  to  have 
mercy  upon  me.  My  soul  intensely  longed  that  the 
dreadful  S2^ots  and  stains  of  sin  might  be  washed  away 
from  it.  Saw  something  of  the  power  and  all-suffi- 
ciency of  God.  My  soul  seemed  to  rest  on  his  power 
and  grace ;  longed  for  resignation  to  his  will,  and 
mortification  to  all  things  here  below.  My  mind  was 
greatly  fixed  on  divine  things  ;  my  resolutions  for  a 
life  of  mortification,  continual  watchfulness,  self-denial, 
seriousness  and  devotion,  were  strong  and  fixed ;  my 
desires  ardent  and  intense  ;  my  conscience  tender,  and 
afraid  of  every  appearance  of  evil.  My  soul  grieved 
with  reflection  on  past  duty  and  want  of  resolution  for 
God.  I  solemnly  renewed  my  dedication  of  myself  to 
God,  and  longed  for  grace  to  enable  me  always  to  keep 
covenant  with  him.  Time  appeared  very  short,  eter- 
nity near,  and  a  great  name,  either  in  or  after  life, 
together  with  all  earthly  pleasures  and  profits,  but  an 
empty  bubble,  a  deluding  dream." 

Evidently  it  is  expedient  to  observe  such  seasons, 
public  or  private,  whenever  anything  sufficiently  pe- 
culiar in  the  providence  of  God  or  in  our  own  spiritual 


178  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

condition  demands  it.  Has  the  storm,  the  flood,  drought, 
or  pestilence,  produced  local  or  general  sufferings,  then 
let  there  be  a  local  or  general  fast.  Does  war  or  any 
other  calamity  threaten,  let  there  be  a  fast.  When- 
ever in  any  way  human  wickedness  and  folly,  or  a 
visitation  from  God,  whether  impending  or  actually 
arrived,  makes  it  desirable,  let  there  be  a  season  of 
fasting. 

When,  too,  a  church  is  called  upon  to  act  in  refer- 
ence to  a  pastoral  head,  or  to  take  any  step  particu- 
larly important ;  when  it  is  in  circumstances  of  pe- 
culiar declension  or  trial,  and  when  unitedly  seeking 
some  special  favor,  then  let  a  fast  be  observed. 

While  seasons  for  humiliation,  fasting,  and  prayer, 
whether  by  civil  or  ecclesiastical  appointment,  have 
more  commonly  been  resorted  to  in  view  of  emergen- 
cies which  call  for  unusual  measures,  the  annual  recur- 
rence of  such  a  day  in  the  season  of  sjDring  had  its 
origin  in  a  recognition  of  the  providence  of  God,  as 
God  of  nature  and  of  nations.  Fast-day  is  the  corre- 
late to  Thanksgiving ;  the  one  asks,  the  other  acknowl- 
edges, temporal  blessings.  Ample  reason  and  encour- 
agement is  there,  at  that  period  in  the  year,  for  a  united 
acknowledgment  of  the  all-wise,  superintending  Provi- 
dence. It  is  fitting  that  we  should  look  devoutly  to 
him  to  continue  the  manifold  operations  of  nature,  so 
adjusting  his  agencies  as  to  secure  those  productive 
results  without  which  the  occupants  of  earth  must 
perish.  It  is  never  amiss  to  pray  that  pestilence  may 
be  averted  ;  that  civil  commotions  may  not  alarm  us  ; 
that  the  means  and  desire  for  intellectual  culture  may 
become  yet  more  abundant ;  that  the  blessings  of  free- 


DEVOUT     FASTING.  179 

dom,  personal  security,  and  social  enjoyment,  may  con- 
tinue unimpaired,  and  may  be  yet  farther  enlarged. 

Why  do  we  hear  of  so  few  seasons  of  fasting  in  the 
family,  that  oldest  institution  in  our  world  ?  Are  there 
no  family  difficulties,  family  disgraces,  family  reverses, 
family  bereavements,  that  call  for  special  family  hu- 
miliation, fasting,  and  prayer?  How  is  it,  too,  with 
private  individual  practice  in  these  days  ?  To  what 
extent  does  it  exist  ?  If  generally,  or  at  all,  it  is  well 
that  nothing  is  known  of  the  matter  in  public.  "  Thou, 
when  thou  fastest,  ^oint  thy  head,  and  wash  thy  face, 
that  thou  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  unto  thy 
Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth 
in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly." 

To  what  extent  abstinence  from  food  is  important,  I 
do  not  undertake  to  say.  The  age,  constitution,  health, 
and  habits  of  each  individual  should,  no  doubt,  be  con- 
sulted ;  yet  abstinence,  and  that,  too,  wljich  is  not 
farcical,  may  well  be  deemed  a  desideratum.  Jerome 
tells  us  that  in  his  time  there  were  persons  who  trifled 
with  God  in  this  way ;  to  avoid  the  customary  use  of 
oil,  they  procured  the  most  delicate  kinds  of  food  from 
different  countries;  and  who  to  do  violence  to  nature, 
abstained  from  drinking  water,  but  procured  delicious 
liquors,  which  they  drank,  not  from  a  cup,  but  from  a 
shell.  Such  insult  to  heaven  is  not  unfrequent  among 
papists,  nor  wholly  unknown  among  Protestants. 

Who  has  not  found  that  a  full  meal,  much  more  a 
surfeit,  clogs  devotion,  and  that  occasional  moderate 
abstinence  is  an  auxiliary  to  religious  exercises  ?  Of 
course  ostentation  and  outward  disfigurement  should 
be  avoided.    The  Pharisees  in  their  fastings  clad  them- 


180  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

selves  in  sackcloth,  walked  in  a  solemn  pace,  and  by- 
various  methods  would  fain  attract  attention  to  their 
sanctimonious  observance.  Christ  forbids  facial  dis- 
simulation. He  does  not  discountenance  fasting,  nor 
an  appropriate  outward  demeanor ;  but  personal  neg- 
lect he  does  disapprove.  "  Wash  thy  face,  and  anoint 
thy  head,"  that  is,  take  usual  care  of  the  person ;  be- 
ware of  mere  external  performance ;  aim  at  a  secret, 
sincere  humiliation  of  soul.  One  design  of  fasting  is 
'^  to  afflict  the  soul,"  as  laid  down  for  the  children  of 
Israel  by  statute  in  Leviticus.  PSul  "  was  in  fastings 
oft ; "  and  thus  was  it  in  part  that  "  he  kept  his  body 
under."  Thus  may  we  curb  and  mortify  the  flesh,  and 
that,  too,  with  little  danger  of  running  into  Komish 
extremes,  and  without  the  error  of  practising  it  as  a 
penance. 

Rightly  performed  it  is  no  repulsive  duty.  Is  there 
anything  painful  in  drawing  near  to  God,  anything  sad 
in  the  fellowship  of  the  Comforter?  Is  there  aught  of 
distress  in  having  the  charm  of  the  world  broken ;  in 
being  strengthened  to  say,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Sa- 
tan "  ?  Is  it  a  gloomy  thing  to  realize  anew,  and  more 
intimately,  the  Saviour's  presence  ?  What  valley  is 
there  so  pleasant  as  that  of  humility  ?  Is  not  such  a 
day  one  for  digging  deeper  our  wells,  with  a  view  to 
more  abundant  and  lasting  supplies  ? 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  181 


V.    DEVOUT  LIVING. 


Man  is  an  anomaly ;  a  creature  of  inconsistencies. 
So  far  as  appears,  this  sad  characteristic  belongs  to 
him  alone  among  all  the  various  orders  of  beings. 
Wliat  irrational  creature  fails  to  fulfil  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  made,  or  is  capable  in  itself  of  becoming 
and  doing  aught  besides  what  the  Creator  designed  ? 
Are  not  holy  angels  self-collected,  and  ever  in  perfect 
harmony  with  their  place  and  their  work?  Are  not 
fallen  angels  so  thoroughly  bad  as  to  be  consistently 
intent  upon  their  dark  plans  and  proceedings  ? 

The  peculiar  province  of  enigmas  is  religion, — man's 
religion,  and  man's  conduct  under  the  only  system  of 
faith  and  practice  which  has  come  from  heaven.  No 
other  vagaries  in  poetry,  speculation,  science,  or  out- 
ward activit}^,  can  be  compared  with  those  relating  to 
men's  beliefs  and  duties.  Nothing  so  visionary,  so 
monstrous,  and  appalling,  could  arise  elsewhere  than  in 
this  department  of  human  forthputting. 

Singularity  culminates  in  prayer.  It  is  reserved  for 
the  most  solemn  and  sublime  exercise  in  which  a  cre- 
ated being  can  engage,  —  that  of  immediate  personal 
address  to  God,— to  reveal  the  acme  of  strangeness. 
The  most  startling  of  facts  is,  not  that  men  are  wicked, 
nor  that  they  are  wicked  in  spite  of  their  prayers,  but 
wicked  in  and  on  account  of  their  very  supplications. 
This  is  Satan's  masterpiece,  thus  to  abuse  so  great  a 
privilege.  Out  of  this  comes  the  most  glaring  conflict 
between  rehgion  and  morals ;  between  professed  piety 
and  actual  life. 

IS 


182  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Why  is  it  that  men  who  can  hardly  fail  to  see  that 
disobedience  must  vitiate  prayer,  that  there  is  gross 
incongruity  in  coming  before  God  to  ask  a  favor,  while 
their  lives  are  at  war  with  him,  should  run  such  risks 
of  insult  ?  The  solution  is  to  be  sought  amidst  our 
deeper  wants  and  fears.  Men  must  have,  or  persuade 
themselves  that  they  have  God  on  their  side.  By  fair 
means  or  foul  they  must  secure  conscience  as  an  ally. 
The  worse  the  undertaking  or  motive,  the  greater  the 
need  of  this  ;  otherwise  remorse  will  make  them  cow- 
ards. So  clearly  did  this  come  out  amidst  the  French 
revolution,  that  the  monster  Robespierre  avowed,  if 
there  were  no  God,  it  would  be  necessary  to  invent 
one.  So  anxious  are  men,  unconsciously,  sometimes, 
to  obtain  the  sanctions  of  religion,  that  by  perverse 
reasoning,  or  through  the  blinding  influence  of  pas- 
sion, they  will  come  to  believe  anything  and  do  any- 
thing absurd  or  abhorrent,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 
sacred.  There  is  no  conceivable  lie  they  will  not 
credit  in  order  to  flatter  themselves  with  the  hope  of 
getting  God  to  help  them  do  their  works  of  darkness. 

The  buccaneers  who  used  to  infest  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, calling  themselves  by  the  pleasant  name,  Brothers 
of  the  Coast,  began  their  nefarious  career  by  profess- 
ing it  a  duty  to  avenge  on  the  Spaniards  wrongs 
heaped  by  them  on  the  inoffensive  aborigines  of  Cen- 
tral America  and  the  West  India  Islands.  They  never 
thought  of  embarking  on  a  piratical  expedition  with- 
out publicly  invoking  Heaven  for  success ;  nor  did 
they  come  back  laden  with  the  spoils  of  rapine  and 
murder  without  solemnly  returning  thanks  to  God. 
Whatever  the  difference  in  degree,  there  is  small  dif- 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  183 

ferencc  in  character  between  this  and  the  daily  talk 
of  men  thanking  Heaven  and  blessing  their  stars  over 
the  fruits  of  low  cunning  and  petty  fraud.  This  im- 
plies that  God  is  as  easily  beguiled  as  men  beguile 
themselves  and  others. 

What  coarser  perversity  can  there  be  than  such  a 
view  of  the  oflSce  of  prayer  ?  Is  supplication  a  mere 
artifice,  an  ambush  for  compassing  God  ?  one  of  the 
pious  devices  to  be  used  as  speculators  may  bring 
an  influence  to  bear  on  the  stock-market  ?  The  idea 
Bcems  to  be  well-nigh  ineradicable  that  simple  formal- 
ities of  worship  have  potency  like  a  charm  ;  that  devo- 
tional attitude  and  language  alone  are  meritorious ; 
that  whatever  the  subject  or  intent  of  a  petitioner, 
God  is  bound  by  virtue  of  the  act  itself  to  lend  his  aid. 
Homage  is  held  to  have  a  kind  of  mechanical  power,  a 
certain  commercial  value ;  something  which  inherently 
qualifies  or  fortifies  a  person  for  anything.  There  are 
all  gradations  of  this,  from  the  minute  grain  of  self- 
righteousness,  which  only  the  keenest  analysis  will 
detect,  up  to  that  bold  effrontery  of  the  gypsy  mother, 
who  tells  her  child,  ''  You  have  said  your  prayers ; 
now  you  may  go  and  steal." 

Among  Roman  Catholics,  prayers  are  often  imposed 
as  penances ;  they  are  held  to  have  efScacy  and  value 
for  satisfying  divine  justice.  Hence  much  of  the 
punctiliousness  in  saying  prayers ;  and  often,  the  more 
unprincipled  men  are,  the  more  scrupulous  are  they 
herein.  There  is  all  the  greater  urgency  for  squaring 
accounts  as  they  go  on.  Look  at  Don  Alonzo  de 
Ojeda,  one  of  Columbus'  followers.  He  carried  with 
him  in  city,  camp,  and  field,  a  small  painting  of  the 


184  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Virgin  Mary,  which  Bishop  Fonseca  gave  him  ;  and  to 
which  he  was  almost  constantly  addressing  invocations. 
In  battle  or  brawl,  in  his  wholesale  slave-dealing  or 
any  other  wickedness,  he  would  swear  by  the  Virgin 
and  pray  to  the  Virgin  most  indefatigably.  Look  into 
one  of  the  gambling  hells  of  a  thoroughly  Catholic 
country.  The  game  may  be  at  the  hottest ;  the  table 
strewn  with  gold  and  notes ;  flushed  countenances 
around  betokening  intense st  excitement ;  but  if  a  tink- 
ling bell  is  heard,  announcing  the  consecrated  wafer 
in  the  street,  instantly  is  the  game  suspended ;  the 
gamblers  kneel,  cross  themselves,  mumble  a  prayer 
as  the  host  passes  on  to  some  dying  man's  bed-side ; 
then  they  seat  themselves,  as  eager  as  before,  at 
rouge-et-noir. 

It  requires  nothing  more  than  the  natural  reaction 
from  such  monstrous  inconsistencies  to  account  for  the 
character  of  false  deities  and  the  false  character  imput- 
ed to  the  true  God.  The  tendency  is  always  for  man 
to  become  as  his  God  is ;  and  reciprocally,  in  imagina- 
tion, his  God  to  become  as  he  is. 

"  The  Ethiop  gods  have  Ethiop  lips, 
Bronze  cheeks,  and  woolly  hair; 
The  Grecian  gods  are  like  the  Greeks, 
As  keen-eyed,  cold,  and  fair." 

There  will  never  long  be  wanted  a  divinity  suited 
to  the  wishes  of  individuals  or  a  people.  Let  them 
renounce  Jehovah,  and  he  will  give  them  over  judi- 
cially to  believe  just  such  a  lie  as  they  please.  In  the 
diiferent  species  of  heathenism  there  may  be  found  a 
patron  for  theft,  murder,  impurity,  and  every  vice  or 
crime  that  can  be  named ;   and  such  demons  will  be 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  185 

sure  to  have  more  of  homage  than  those  less  excep- 
tionable in  character. 

It  would  be  quite  superfluous  to  dwell  on  the  reason 
why  "  he  that  turneth  away  his  ear  from  hearing  the 
law,  even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination."  The 
spirit  of  disobedience  is  in  every  point  at  war  with 
the  true  spirit  of  devotion,  the  very  opposite  of  that 
humble,  grateful,  confiding  temper  which  is  the  soul 
of  acceptable  worship.  Though  the  theme  of  peti- 
tion be  allowable,  the  absence  of  that  quality  proves 
fatal.  IIow  much  worse  than  nugatory  is  a  request 
for  anything  wrong  in  itself,  or  a  request  offered  with 
a  wicked  intention !  The  law  requires  holy  love ; 
requires  that  we  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  Is  it  not 
an  abomination  for  one  trampling  on  that  law  to  come 
before  him  asking  a  favor  ?  Is  it  not  the  consumma- 
tion of  impudence  ?  Is  it  not  the  same  as  asking  him 
if  he  will  not  leave  the  throne,  or  else  repeal  his  law, 
and  change  the  whole  character  of  his  government, 
arrayed  as  it  is  against  all  wrong-doing?  What  is  it 
for  such  persons  to  send  up  entreaties  to  God,  but  an 
attempt  to  make  him  an  ally  against  himself,  an  accom- 
plice in  wicked  designs  ?  AYhat  shall  we  pronounce  it 
but  a  gratuitous  experiment  to  see  if  there  is  an  unal- 
terable difference  between  God  and  evil ;  if  God 
really  means  what  he  says  in  declaring  that  "  The  way 
of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord ;  but  the 
prayer  of  the  upright  is  his  delight"? 

Do  we  pray  for  holiness  ?  How  much  will  it  avail 
if  at  the  same  time  we  turn  away  our  ears  from  hear- 
ing God's  law ;  to  repeat  the  Words,  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  and  then  watch  for  a  temptation  into  which 

16* 


186  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

we  are  wont  to  run ;  to  ask  for  a  revival,  and  yet  dread 
the  sacrifice  of  time  and  pleasure-seeking  it  may  cost 
us  ?  Augustine  confesses  that  in  praying,  before  con- 
version, against  his  besetting  sin,  he  feared  lest  God 
would  answer  him. 

Do  we  ask  the  remission  of  our  sins  ?  That  request 
is  an  abomination  to  God,  provided  we  cherish  an  un- 
forgiving spirit  toward  others,  in  face  of  what  our 
Lord  says,  "  If  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  will  your  heavenly  Father  forgive  you.^'  A 
certain  New  Zealand  chief  was  accustomed  to  say, 
"  Forgive  us  our  trespasses,  though  we  do  not  forgive 
those  who  trespass  against  us."  Is  it  our  cry.  Thy 
kingdom  come  ?  What  do  we  mean  by  that  kingdom  ? 
one  that  is  of  this  world ;  one  that  is  to  secure  our 
advancement  and  gratification?  Then  do  we  ask  for 
the  coming  of  Satan's  kingdom.  When  was  there  ever 
a  more  unprovoked,  unauthorized  invasion  than  that 
of  Mexico  by  Cortez  ?  Yet  he  and  his  men  deemed  it 
a  holy  crusade ;  they  passionately  entreated  God  for 
success ;  thinking  that  they  did  him  service  by  the 
slaughter  of  infidels,  as  they  termed  the  natives.  The 
bigoted,  merciless  general  could  write  thus  to  Charles 
V. :  '^  As  we  fought  under  the  standard  of  the  cross, 
for  the  true  faith,  and  the  service  of  your  Highness, 
Heaven  crowned  our  arms  with  such  success,  that, 
while  multitudes  of  the  infidels  were  slain,  little  loss 
was  suffered  by  the  Castilians."  The  Spanish  con- 
querors, to  judge  from  their  writings,  unconscious  of 
any  worldly  motive  lurking  in  their  hearts,  regarded 
themselves  as  soldiers  of  the  church,  fighting  the 
great  battle  of  Christianity.     What  were  the  petitions 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  187 

and  thanksgivings  of  such  men,  on  such  an  enterprise, 
but  abomination  ? 

We  are  wont  to  ask  for  daily  bread ;  for  a  blessing 
upon  our  avocation  as  a  means  of  livelihood  ;  but  if 
our  business  be  an  immoral  one,  as  traffic  in  ardent 
spirits,  traffic  in  human  beings,  or  traffic  on  the  Lord's 
day ;  if  we  are  cheating  customers  and  cheating  the 
government,  we  ouglit  to  change  either  our  ways  or 
our  prayers.  There  is  no  limit  to  which  inconsis- 
tency under  the  hardening  influence  of  wilful  blind- 
ness may  not  go.  Until  within  recent  times  supplica- 
tion for  a  "  blessed  stranding  "  was  habitually  offered 
on  the  island  of  Rugen  in  churches  that  were  fre- 
quented by  wreckers. 

It  is  impossible  to  lead  an  undevout  life  and  yet 
have  power  in  prayer.  Worldly-minded  persons  often 
maintain  more  or  less  of  regularity  in  the  outward 
habit  of  supplication,  and  yet  wonder  they  have  no 
more  of  its  spirit.  For  business,  for  social  intercourse, 
fol*  amusements,  for  many  things  which,  either  in  kind 
or  degree,  are  hostile  to  practical  piety,  they  have  a 
zest ;  but  in  fellowship  with  God  they  have  little  or  no 
enjoyment.  Others  there  are,  or,  perhaps,  the  same, 
who,  notwithstanding  their  worldliness,  have  great 
vocal  fluency  or  a  devout  tone  in  prayer.  They  flat- 
ter themselves,  and  sometimes  deceive  listeners,  with 
a  mere  devotional  rhetoric.  They  pray  as  they  talk, 
with  great  ease,  but  their  volubility  or  their  solemn 
cadence  indicates  not  so  much  a  devotional  frame  as 
an  elocutionary  gift.  Can -any  one  be  uniformly  de- 
voted to  the  world,  and  yet  be  truly  devout  upon  his 
knees  ?     Is  religion  something  for  the  closet,  and  not 


188  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

for  the  parlor;  for  the  conference-room,  and  not  for 
'change  ;  for  sacred  time,  and  not  for  secular  time  ? 
God  has  not  only  enjoined  the  duty  of  prayer,  but  he 
requires  undivided  service.  No  man  can  retire  from 
the  broad  road  to  the  narrow  way  merely  to  say  his 
prayers  ;  praying  to  God,  and  yet  serving  Mammon. 
The  Mohammedan,  and  some,  too,  bearing  the  Christian 
name,  in  the  midst  of  a  quarrel  or  a  debauch,  pause  at 
the  appointed  signal  to  repeat  their  forms.  Is  the 
tongue  reeking  in  licentiousness  or  profaneness  the 
one,  with  a  sudden  transition,  to  address  the  God  of 
infinite  purity  and  majesty?  Numa,  the  second  Roman 
king,  heathen  though  he  v/as,  ordered  that  before  all 
solemn  prayers  the  people  should  be  warned  to  attend, 
to  lay  aside  secular  thoughts,  and  mind  the  business 
they  were  to  engage  in. 

It  is  in  vain  to  look  for  the  emoluments  of  both  piety 
and  sin.  The  garment  of  righteousness  is  not  cha- 
meleon-hke,  receiving  its  hue  from  surrounding  ob- 
jects ;  its  unchanging  character  is  well  known.  In  the 
wardrobe,  and  everywhere  else,  it  is  to  be  kept  un- 
spotted from  the  world.  The  heart-searching  God, 
who  abhors  all  hypocrisy,  speaks  from  his  throne, 
'^  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations  ;  when  ye  spread  forth 
your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you ;  yea,  when 
ye  make  many  prayers,  I  will  not  hear.  Wash  you  ,* 
make  you  clean ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings 
from  before  mine  eyes ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do 
well." 

During  our  contest  with  the  Southern  Rebellion 
there  has  been  a  conflict  of  prayers.  Strife  on  the 
field  seems  to  have  been  reproduced  amidst  that  holy 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  18& 

quiet  which  surrounds  the  mercy-seat.  Many  loyal 
persons  at  the  North  have  had  a  secret  misgiving,  an 
apprehension,  lest  Southern  supplication  might  avail, 
when  Southern  troops  would  otherwise  suffer  defeat ; 
lest  intervention,  if  it  do  not  come  from  abroad,  might 
come  from  above. 

The  question,  stripped  of  all  needless  accessories, 
stands  thus :  Is  prayer  for  the  triumph  of  this  con- 
spiracy pleasing  to  God?  The  question  is  not  whether 
there  are  proportionally  as  many  Christians  at  the 
South  as  at  the  North  ;  nor  whether  they  are  as  good 
Christians  ;  nor  whether  they  are  all  in  favor  of  se- 
cession ;  nor  whether  secessionists  are  on  the  whole 
greater  sinners  than  citizens  of  the  loyal  States ;  nor 
whether  their  prayers  for  appropriate  objects  be  ac- 
ceptable to  God.  Who  has  made  us  judges  ?  Which 
of  us  has  not  sins  enough  to  mourn  over,  without 
spending  time  in  a  general  adjustment  of  demerits  ? 

Nor,  again,  is  the  question  whether  secessionists  are 
sincere  and  earnest.  Hypocrisy  is  not  charged  upon 
them ;  but  is  sincerity  the  test  of  right  ?  Is  any- 
thing more  common  than  for  men  to  be  most  sincerely 
wrong  ?  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  as  sincere  in  opposing 
Christianity  as  afterward  in  preaching  it.  He  thought 
verily  that  he  ought  to  do  many  things  contrary  to  the 
name  of  Jesus.  As  for  earnestness,  does  not  history 
show  that  the  worse  a  man  is  the  fiercer  he  is,  and 
that  the  poorer  his  piety  the  more  he  is  apt  to  have  of 
it  ?  What  true  worshippers  of  Jehovah  were  ever  so 
terribly  in  earnest  as  the  priests  of  Baal  on  Mount 
Carmel,  leaping  upon  the  altar,  crying  aloud  hour 
after   hour,  cutting  themselves   with  knives  and  Ian- 


190  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

cets,  till  the  blood  gushed  out  upon  them?  Elijah 
calmly  offered  one  short,  effectual  prayer.  What  true 
penitent  ever  called  on  God  more  earnestly  than  did 
Thomas  Paine,  the  infidel,  when  in  peril  of  shipwreck  ? 
Luther's  wife  once  asked  him,  ^'  How  is  it  that  in  the 
Romish  church  there  is  so  much  and  such  fervent 
prayer,  while  we  are  very  cold  and  careless  in  our 
praying  ?  "  He  answered,  "  The  Devil  drives  them  to 
pray." 

The  simple  question  is.  Does  the  secessionist  turn 
away  his  ear  from  hearing  the  law,  —  the  law  of  God, 
and  that  constitutional  law  which  he  is  bound  to  obey? 
If  so,  his  prayer  for  the  triumph  of  treason  and  armed 
rebellion  is  an  outrage,  and  is  powerless  except  for 
mischief  on  himself  Whatever  the  man's  excellences, 
whatever  his  piety,  he  cannot  in  the  matter  of  sedition 
prevail  with  God.  Turning  away  his  own  ear  from 
hearing  the  law.  can  he  get  the  ear  of  Jehovah  ?  Is 
not  one  Being  both  lawgiver  and  prayer-hearer  ?  Can 
he  be  insulted  and  propitiated  by  the  same  breath? 
"  If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not 
hear  me." 

It  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation  at  this  late 
day  to  shoAv  that  the  outbreak  was  completely  unprin- 
cipled and  inexcusable.  Its  originators  and  abettors 
give  no  reason,  or  even  fair  pretext.  All  that  need  be 
said  is,  a  most  flagitious  conspiracy  of  long  standing 
ripened.  The  conspirators,  defeated  in  a  constitutional 
election,  took  up  arms.  Rule  or  ruin  is  their  principle. 
It  is  attempted  to  justify  this  armed  revolt  on  the 
alleged  abstract  right  of  secession,  on  the  basis  of 
sovereignty  in  the  individual  States.     Of  all  political 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  191 

heresies,  red  republicanism  not  excepted,  this  is  the 
most  radically  subversive  of  government ;  for  there  is 
no  point  in  the  descending  scale  of  authority  where  it 
can  logically  stop  till  the  family  itself  is  dissolved,  and 
each  person,  old  or  young,  black  or  white,  stands  by 
himself  a  universal,  independent,  impudent  sovereign. 
Concede  such  a  right  of  secession,  and  you  grant  the 
most  sweeping  and  stupendous  wrong ;  you  absolve 
from  that  to  which  God  binds  irrevocably ;  you  deny 
that  a  people  is  a  people  ;  you  renounce  the  preroga- 
tive of  aggregate  sovereignty ;  you  legalize  national 
and  municipal  suicide.  When  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-one,  on  April 
thirteenth,  at  halfpast  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
the  first  gun  was  fired  in  Charleston  harbor,  there  was 
deliberate  aim  at  a  nation's  heart ;  it  was  the  opening 
of  a  rebellion,  the  violent  consummation  of  a  crime, 
more  inexcusable  than  any  since  Satan  struck  the  first 
blow  in  heaven. 

Had  the  motive  —  were  such  a  thing  possible  — 
been  a  good  one,  the  fact  of  most  unjustifiable  conspir- 
acy, ripening  into  a  wicked,  armed  revolt,  w^ould  re- 
main the  same.  But  it  gives  to  the  movement  the 
very  blackest  shade  of  infamy  that  it  proceeded  in 
the  name  and  in  behalf  of  slavery ;  and  that  it  pro- 
posed to  make  such  an  odious  institution  the  corner- 
stone and  top-stone  of  a  new  political  edifice  on  this 
our  soil,  and  past  the  meridian  of  this  our  century.  It 
is  the  boldest  specimen  of  Satanic  effrontery. 

Is  there,  then,  occasion  to  fear  rebel  prayers?  Was 
the  conspiracy  born  in  prayer?  Did  the  Holy  Ghost 
move  men  to  plot,  to  forswear  themselves,  to  organize 


192  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

and  arm  themselves  against  an  unoffending  govern- 
ment, and  one  in  which  they  had  ever  had  dispropor- 
tionate influence  ?  Did  Heaven  move  them  to  seize 
forts,  steal  arsenals,  demolish  lighthouses,  and  bring 
on  the  most  gigantic  and  destructive  civil  war  that 
the  world  has  ever  seen?  We  have  no  dread  of  rebel 
supplications.  One  may  be  a  worshipper  of  the  true 
God,  and  not  a  true  worshipper  of  God.  Nadab  and 
Abihu's  strange  fire  and  strange  incense  were  effec- 
tive only  in  bringing  ruin  on  themselves.  So  long  as 
God  is  saying,  "  Let  every  soul  be  subject  to  the 
higher  powers,"  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordi- 
nance of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake,  whether  it  be  to  the 
king  as  supreme,  or  unto  governors,  as  unto  them  that 
are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and 
for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well,"  we  are  quiet  in 
regard  to  any  successfully  conflicting  influence  that 
may  meet  us  before  the  footstool  on  high.  "  Michael 
and  his  angels  fought  against  the  dragon,  and  the 
dragon  fought  and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not ;  nei- 
ther was  their  place  found  any  more  in  heaven." 

Let  loyal  citizens  keep  to  their  true  position,  and 
rebel  days  proclaimed  for  humiliation,  fasting,  and 
prayer,  will  awaken  anything  but  apprehension  on  our 
part.  May  God  deliver  us  from  all  self-righteousness  ; 
we  would  beware  of  arrogance  ;  but  can  we  mistake 
the  voice  of  Jehovah?  ^^When  ye  come  to  appear 
before  me,  who  hath  required  this  at  your  hand,  to 
tread  my  courts  ?  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations  ,*  in- 
cense is  an  abomination  to  me  ;  the  new  moons  and 
Sabbaths,  the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away 
with ;  it  is  iniquity,  even  the  solemn  meeting.     Your 


DEVOUT     LIVING.  193 

new  moons  and  your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth  ; 
they  are  a  trouble  unto  me;  I  am  weary  to  bear  tliem.'^ 
It  is  no  unusual  thing  for  a  bad  cause  to  have  good 
advocates  ;  but  the  prayers  of  even  good  men  cannot 
sanctify  a  bad  cause.  Nor  is  the  success  of  any  cause 
proof  of  its  justice,  or  that  supphcation  in  its  behalf 
has  been  heard.  Was  it  the  Amalekites'  own  prayer 
that  gave  them  success,  or  Moses'  ceasing  to  pray  ? 
Have  we  not  unspeakably  less  reason  to  fear  from  the 
whole  volume  of  Southern  intercession  than  from 
Northern  ungodliness,  Northern  lying,  cheating,  extrav- 
agance. Northern  profaneness,  intemperance,  and  Sab- 
bath desecration  ? 

17 


YIII 


ADJUNCTS    TO    PRAYER. 


ANY  seem  to  attach  more  importance 
to  the  spot  than  to  the  duty,  as  if 
prayer  were  an  exercise  restricted 
to  particular  places.  Local  attach- 
ment and  reverence  for  antiquity 
are  easily  mistaken  for  certain  char- 
acteristics of  piety.  "  Our  flithers 
worshipped  in  this  mountain."  The 
Samaritan  woman  gave  utterance  to 
a  feeling  almost  universal.  The  Greeks  had  their 
Delphi  and  Dodona.  Every  people,  not  intelligently 
Christian,  has  some  eminence,  grove,  fountain,  or  other 
spot  peculiarly  sacred,  and  to  be  present  there  is  the 
same  thing  as  to  worship. 

The  temple  at  Jerusalem  was  indeed  erected  by 
the  special  appointment  of  God.  Its  location,  mate- 
rials, form,  and  furniture  were  all  expressly  indicated 
by  him.  When  the  ark  was  removed  to  its  resting- 
place  there,  and  sacrifices  were  offered,  the  visible 
glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house.  That  building  had 
a  character  as  peculiar  as  the  dispensation  under 
which  it  was  erected.  There  has  never  been  another 
like  it.  Christ  pronounces,  ^'  The  hour  cometh,  and 
now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the 


194 


ADJUNCTS     TO     PRAYER.  195 

Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  Paul  appreciated  the 
enlarged  privileges  of  the  new  dispensation:  "I  will, 
therefore,  that  men  pray  everywhere,  lifting  up  holy 
hands  without  wrath  or  doubting."  Justin  Martyr, 
when  asked  by  the  prefect,  '^  Where  do  you  assemble?" 
replied,  '^  Where  each  one  can  and  will.  You  believe, 
no  doubt,  that  we  all  meet  together  in  one  place ;  but 
it  is  not  so ;  the  God  of  the  Christians  is  not  shut  up 
in  a  room,  but  being  invisible  he  fills  both  heaven  and 
earth,  and  is  honored  everywhere  by  the  faithful." 

Every  true  worshipper  is  his  own  temple.  Abra- 
ham, wherever  he  went,  built  an  altar  to  the  Lord. 
Even  when  Solomon  set  apart  the  temple  as  a  special 
place  for  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah,  he  exclaimed, 
^' Will  God  indeed  dwell  on  the  earth?"  But  ever 
since  the  pagan  ploughshare  was  driven  over  that  only 
site  of  God's  special  residence  on  earth,  his  house  has 
been  called  ''  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  his  people." 
It  is  to  be  found  wherever  true  believers  are  to  be 
found,  those  lively  stones  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  a 
holy  priesthood  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  accept- 
able to  God  by  Jesus  Christ.  If  a  thief  on  the  cross, 
if  Peter  on  the  housetop  and  on  the  water,  if  Daniel 
in  the  lions'  den,  if  Jeremiah  in  the  clay-pit,  and  Jonah 
from  "  the  bottoms  of  the  mountains,"  were  heard, 
shall  any  one  hesitate,  wherever  he  may  be,  to  call 
upon  the  Lord  ? 

Christianity  will  yet  convert  our  world  universally 
into  a  Bethel.  The  minds  of  men  will  become  emanci- 
pated from  needless  and  unauthorized  local  and  ceremo- 
nial bondage.  The  spirit  that  we  would  repress  is  the 
spirit  that  erected  churches  over  the  graves  of  mar- 


196  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

tyrs,  the  spirit  that  sends  men  on  religious  pilgrim- 
ages, and  that  can  neglect  customary  devotions,  be- 
cause away  from  the  customary  place.  The  spirit  and 
truth  in  which  Ave  are  to  worship  the  Father  know 
nothing  of  local  limits.  Their  home  is  the  universe. 
Commensurate  with  the  ubiquity  of  God's  presence 
and  providence  is  the  duty  of  prayer. 

Mere  posture,  too,  is  comparatively  unimportant. 
"  Bow  before  him "  we  should ;  but  bowing  is  not 
praying;  kneeling  is  not  devotion.  Otherwise,  the 
statue  and  painting  might  be  devout.  It  is  well  uni- 
formly to  take  such  an  attitude  as  usage  pronounces 
reverent;  yet  stationary  or  in  motion,  on  the  knees  or 
on  the  face,  erect  or  sitting,  the  suppliant  may  equally 
commune  with  his  ever-present  Father,  Saviour,  and 
Sanctifier. 

Among  the  Mohammedans  there  are  ^ve  sorts  of 
prayers  to  be  said  daily :  In  the  morning  with  two 
inclinations  of  the  body  ;  at  noon  with  four ;  in  the 
afternoon  with  four  also ;  in  the  evening  with  three ; 
and  in  the  night  with  four  again.  Similar  punctilious- 
ness may  often  be  found  where  pure  spiritual  worship 
has  become  extinct,  or  never  existed.  Whatever  con- 
venient posture  usage  has  made  the  symbol  of  mod- 
esty, humility,  and  reverence,  may  be  adopted,  but 
always  with  the  clear  recollection  that  while  man  look- 
eth  on  the  outward  appearance,  the  Lord  looketh  on 
the  heart. 

"  Yf  herewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord  ?  "  Not 
with  voice  alone.  Whether  low  or  loud,  articulation  is 
no  essential  part  of  devotion.  It  is  an  envelope,  a 
machine,  a  messenger  only.     The  precious  contents, 


ADJUNCTS     TO     PRAYER.  197 

the  moving  power,  the  animating  inner  self,  is  that 
which  makes  the  prayer.  God  hears  as  well  as  sees 
in  secret. 

There  are  two  extremes.  One  is  the  idea,  so  gen- 
eral among  Jews,  that  prayer  is  of  no  avail  unless 
uttered  aloud.  The  mere  audible  repetition  of  a  form 
is  all  that  many  know  about  praying.  The  other 
extreme  is  that  of  the  quietists.  Even  among  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  there  is  a  modern  sect  who  reject  all 
external  forms,  and  abandon  their  minds  to  abstrac- 
tion and  contemplation.  They  never  engage  in  oral 
prayer,  but  only  in  mental  ejaculation  and  silent  wor- 
ship. Similar  though  less  extreme  is  the  practice  of  a 
well-known  sect  of  Christians.  The  belief  in  sudden 
impulses,  as  well  as  immediate  verbal  suggestions,  and 
the  necessary  waiting  for  their  irregular  and  uncer- 
tain presence,  render  social  worship  often  nugatory. 
Hence  not  unfrequently  do  they  remain  together  for  a 
whole  service  in  silence.  Joint  worship  must  be  audi- 
ble. The  tongue  was  given  us  to  glorify  God.  "  Oh 
come  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord ;  let  us  make  a  joyful 
noise  unto  the  rock  of  our  salvation.  Let  us  come 
before  his  presence  with  thanksgiving  and  make  a  joy- 
ful noise  unto  him  with  psalms."  Effusions  of  the 
heart  demand  expression  by  the  tongue.  Still  it  re- 
mains true  that  devout  desires  without  words  are 
prayers,  and  words,  however  devout,  if  unaccompanied 
by  appropriate  feelings,  are  a  vain  oblation.  The 
heart  may  beat  though  the  tongue  be  silent;  and 
never  was  it  from  the  lips  that  God  first  learned  a 
believer's  wish. 

In  employing  language  for  devout  purposes,  it  is 

17* 


198  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

well  to  draw  largely  from  the  Bible.  Many  of  the  re- 
corded prayers  in  the  New  Testament  suggest  this. 
Later  ones  in  the  Old  Testament  do  the  same.  The 
prophet  Jonah,  for  instance,  borrows  chiefly  from  the 
words  of  David.  In  the  seven  verses  of  his  devo- 
tional exercise,  there  are  apparently  seven  distinct 
quotations  from  the  Psalms.  He  was  familiar  with 
those  inspired  lyrics,  infinite^  the  best  aids  to  devo- 
tion ever  supplied  to  man.  The  Word  of  God  was  the 
only  Prayer  Book  he  had;  the  only  one  we  need.  Can 
any  language  be  so  appropriate  in  addressing  our 
praises  and  requests  to  God,  as  that  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  moved  sacred  penmen  to  employ  in  their  devout 
psalms,  and  partly  no  doubt  for  this  very  purpose  ? 

Surely  it  was  not  only  for  the  "  service  of  song," 
but  for  the  service  of  prayer  in  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
in  the  lA'dce  of  habitual  retirement,  and,  if  occasion 
require,  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  that  they  were  led 
to  write  as  they  did. 

^'  God  is  in  heaven  and  thou  upon  earth ;  therefore 
let  thy  words  be  few."  Such  is  Solomon's  rubric. 
Devotion  usually  ends  where  fetigue  begins.  Unduly 
protracted,  this  exercise  becomes  mere  toil  of  the 
tongue.  In  social  worship  a  very  long  prayer  will  cer- 
tainly be  fatiguing  to  some ;  and  not  unfrequently  is 
the  patience  of  devout  souls  most  unreasonably  taxed. 
The  longest  prayer  on  record  in  the  Bible  is  that  of 
Solomon  at  the  dedication,  which,  however,  did  not 
exceed  eight  minutes.  In  Sparta  long  prayers  were 
prohibited  by  law.  It  was  not  till  vital  piety  had  de- 
clined, and  gross  errors  begun  to  creep  into  the 
church,  that  Christians  entertained  the  idea  that  pro- 


ADJUNCTS     TO     PRAYER.  199 

tracted  and  often-repeated  prayers  possess  peculiar 
efficacy.  The  moment  one's  tongue  outruns  the  heart, 
and  an  effort  commences  to  compensate  by  length  for 
the  lack  of  true  devotion,  that  moment  does  man  cease 
to  be  profited,  and  God  begin  to  be  offended.  It  will 
perhaps  be  found  true  in  all  ages  that  where  there  is 
least  of  spirituality,  there  is  most  of  prolixity.  A 
broken  spirit  utters  broken  prayers,  and  they  are 
brief  too.  The  penitent  publican's  was  long  enough: 
'^  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner !  "  So  was  that  of 
the  repenting  thief:  "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou 
comest  in  thy  kingdom." 

But  did  not  Christ  continue  all  night  in  prayer? 
Yes,  and  he  retired  to  a  mountain  to  do  so  ;  it  was 
private  prayer  in  which  he  engaged.  Even  for  him  it 
was  extraordinary.  Paul  once  preached  till  midnight  ; 
does  it  follow  that  others  are  to  do  the  same,  except 
under  like  remarkable  circumstances?  So  in  regard  to 
protracted  devotional  exercises  ;  unusual  junctures  and 
states  of  mind  alone  authorizing  them.  Such  cases 
are  liable  to  occur  in  the  life  of  every  individual  or 
community,  and  then  let  a  believing  soul  wrestle  till 
the  day  breaketh.  It  was  not  so  much  prolixity  as 
hypocrisy  in  the  Pharisees,  which  our  Lord  con- 
demned. 

It  is  specially  true  in  the  present  age,  when  the 
habits  of  men  extensively  have  undergone  a  change, 
that  undue  length  is  a  great  drawback  upon  devout 
enjoyment  and  profit.  Whitfield  once  said  to  a  broth- 
er, '^  You  prayed  me  into  a  good  frame,  and  you  prayed 
me  out  of  it."  A  similar  admonition  is  often  needed, 
a  kind,  personal  admonition ;  and  the  reason  is  that 


200  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

individuals  are  seldom  aware  of  their  error  in  this 
respect.  Indeed,  no  one  can  be  suitably  engaged  in 
prayer,  and  at  the  same  time  be  fully  conscious  of  the 
flight  of  time.  There  is  no  dial-plate  on  the  throne  of 
grace. 


IX. 

PRAYER    INDIVIDUAL    AND    SOCIAL. 

tJ^C?jC\  I.     SECRET    PRAYER. 

'HERE  is  a  tendency  in  all  minds  to  shift 
responsibility.  Men  are  all  the  while 
sinking  individuality  in  the  mass,  and 
shrinking  from  the  urgencies  of  divine 
claims  upon  each  one's  own  self  in  im- 
mediate accountableness  to  the  heart- 
searching  Sovereign.  A  person  once 
asked  Daniel  Webster,  "  What  is  the 
most  important  thought  that  ever  occu- 
pied your  mind  ?  "  He  replied,  ''  The  most  important 
thought  that  ever  occupied  my  mind  was  the  thought 
of  my  individual  responsibility  to  God.''  Can  any 
mind,  however  capacious,  well-stored,  or  powerful,  en- 
tertain any  subject  so  momentous  as  its  own  accounta- 
bihty? 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  religion  of  the  Bible  deals 
chiefly  with  individuals.  It  addresses  each  by  himself. 
While  "  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat 
of  Christ,"  it  is  "that  every  one  may  receive  the 
things  done  in  his  body,  Avhether  it  be  good  or  bad.'^ 
Its  most  general  laws  are  in  the  form,  "  Thou  shalt 
have  no  other  gods  before  me  ;  "  "'  Thou  shalt  not  take 
the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain."     To  every 

201 


202  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

offender  the  Bible  comes,  saying,  "  Thou  art  the  man.'^ 
To  every  convicted  sinner  it  proclaims,  "  Thou  art  in 
the  gall  of  bitterness  ;  "  it  teaches  him  to  cry,  ^'  Have 
mercy  upon  me,  0  God ;  '^  and  to  every  one  it  says, 
'^  Enter  into  thy  closet." 

Men  are  not  created  in  a  mass,  nor  dealt  with  only 
in  masses  ;  we  do  not  die  in  a  mass,  nor  are  we  to  be 
judged  in  a  mass,  but  individually,  and  with  all  the 
distinctness  that  there  would  be  if  only  one  were  liv- 
ing at  a  time,  or  if  there  had  never  been  but  one  in- 
habitant of  earth. 

Secret  prayer  is  the  test  of  all  prayer.  An  unde- 
vout  mind  shuns  retirement,  while  a  heavenly  mind 
courts  it.  One  is  never  less  alone  than  when  alone. 
What  more  befriends  communion  with  God,  other 
things  equal,  than  privacy  ?  Not  only  do  we  talk  too 
much  about  other  things,  and  too  little  of  such  as  are 
heavenly  and  divine,  but  we  talk  too  much  about  God, 
and  too  little  with  him.  Is  not  the  true  Christian's 
highest  delight  found  in  immediate  converse  with  the 
Saviour  ?  To  get  quite  out  of  the  world  is  heaven  to 
the  saint ;  so  getting  away  from  the  world  for  devout 
converse  is  as  nearly  heaven  as  can  be. 

Spiritual  retirement,  however,  is  a  busy  season,  and 
a  season  of  earnestness.  Was  it  not  while  alone  that 
the  patriarch  Jacob  achieved  his  memorable  victory  ? 
Were  not  David's  couch  prayers  the  most  fervent  and 
prevalent  that  he  offered  ?  Is  there  not  more  positive 
evidence  of  our  Saviour's  habit  of  retired  prayer  than 
of  his  praying  much  with  his  disciples  or  others  ?  and 
shall  we  not  love  and  cultivate  the  same  all  the  more 
because  he  hallowed  the  practice  ? 


SECRET     PRAYER.  203 

The  habit  of  attending  devotional  convocations  is 
not  necessaril}^  a  devout  habit.  As  is  a  man  alone 
between  himself  and  God,  so  is  he  ;  as  he  prays  in 
private,  such  is  his  character  for  communion  with  the 
all-seeing  One. 

There  is  a  great  deal  more  peculiar  in  the  wants  of 
each  one  than  what  is  common  to  any  company  how- 
ever small.  All  requests  appropriate  in  social  prayer 
are  no  less  so  in  private.  We  may  tell  our  Father 
all  our  secrets.  It  is  neither  wise  nor  safe  to  do  so 
between  man  and  man ;  but  he  never  betrays  confi- 
dence. 

Only  in  the  closet  can  a  person  know  with  compara- 
tive certainty  whether  he  ever  has  the  true  spirit  of 
prayer.  In  social  exercises  there  is  a  strong  tempta- 
tion to  display  one's  gifts.  Thousands  of  prayers  are 
addressed  to  human  ears.  The  presence  of  our  fellow- 
creatures  is  liable  to  stimulate  the  mind  into  a  mere 
natural  animation,  easily  mistaken  for  devotional  fer- 
vor ;  but  in  the  closet  there  is  no  audience.  Social 
feelings  do  not  beguile  there;  the  individual  is  thrown 
upon  his  own  personal  acquaintance  with  Him  who 
seeth  in  secret.  Hence  it  is  a  decisive  moment  when 
the  door  is  shut ;  adventitious  aids  are  all  withdrawn. 

"  Enter  into  thy  closet ; "  resort  to  a  retired  place. 
Seclusion  is  important.  Literal  conformity  to  the  pre- 
cept was  not  of  course  intended  universally.  Christ 
himself  illustrated  his  own  command  when  he  betook 
himself  not  only  to  the  mountain,  but  to  the  desert 
and  to  the  garden  for  purposes  of  prayer.  Peter,  on 
the  housetop,  was  acting  in  compliance  with  the  same. 
The  grove,  the  chamber,  the  workshop,  the  counting- 


204  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

room,  any  place  where  suitable  privacy  can  be  enjoyed, 
meets  the  requirement. 

Circumstances  are  often  such  that  the  only  practica- 
ble retirement  is  within  the  recesses  of  one's  own  soul 
itself,  not  local,  but  mental.  Hezekiah,  on  his  sick-bed, 
could  only  turn  toward  the  wall ;  Jonah,  after  he  had 
been  swallowed  up,  cried  unto  the  Lord ;  Paul  prayed 
in  prison.  In  the  public  conveyance,  and  sometimes 
elsewhere,  it  is  impossible  to  retreat  from  the  company 
and  observation  of  others.  Ordinarily,  however,  every 
person  is  so  situated  that  he  can  find  a  place  where, 
without  interruption,  he  may  pour  out  his  soul  in 
prayer.  It  is  desirable  that  this  place  be  uniformly 
the  same.  Habit  has  great  influence  upon  devotion 
as  upon  everytliing  else.  The  simple  circumstance 
of  revisiting  the  familiar  spot  for  communion  with 
God,  tends  to  awaken  the  feelings  which  have  been 
previously  experienced  there. 

Some  measure  of  secrecy  is  important.  Many  indi- 
viduals are  so  situated  that  they  cannot  easily  avoid 
having  the  place  and  times  of  their  devotional  retire- 
ment known.  Enter  into  thy  closet, — not  a  closet, — 
but  thy  closet ;  some  particular  customary  place  for 
the  purpose.  Such  a  spot  may  be  found,  and  should 
be  had  by  every  one.  A  sailor,  who  had  returned  from 
a  long  voyage,  spoke  of  his  enjoyment  in  prayer  while 
at  sea.  "  But,''  inquired  a  friend,  "  in  the  midst  of  the 
confusion  on  shipboard,  where  could  you  find  a  place 
to  pray  ? "  '^  Oh,"  said  he,  '^  I  always  went  to  the 
mast-head."  That  was  his  closet.  Who  cannot  find 
one  ?  The  genuine,  unostentatious  spirit  of  secret 
prayer  shuns  all   publicity.      It  shrinks   instinctively 


SECRET     PRAYER.  205 

from  the  gaze  of  every  one  except  the  all-seeing  God. 
It  closes  the  door  upon  itself  that  its  communion  with 
him  may  be  uninterrupted.  The  thought  that  any 
human  being  may  be  aware  of  what  is  passing,  inter- 
feres with  the  exercise. 

Spurious  piety  is  always  showy.  It  courts  the  gaze 
of  men,  and  has  far  more  regard  to  the  praise  of  men 
than  to  the  praise  of  God.  Formalism  characterizes  all 
false  religions,  and  it  is  to  some  extent  the  garb  with 
which  hypocrisy  clothes  itself  among  the  professed 
followers  of  Christ;  but  it  is  a  practical  denial  of 
God's  omniscience,  and  of  his  infinite  right  to  spiritual 
homage.  Many  will  recollect  what  perverted  use  was 
made  of  this  sacred  privilege,  a  few  years  since,  in 
our  land.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  an  individual  to 
station  himself  with  sole  reference  to  being  overheard 
by  another.  "  Aga  Baba,"  says  Henry  Martyn,  "  was 
for  many  years  a  zealous  Mohammedan,  often  passing 
whole  nights  in  prayer.  His  father,  who  had  at  first 
encouraged  his  religious  propensities,  found  them  at 
last  so  troublesome,  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
house,  not  being  able  to  get  sleep  for  the  noise  his  son 
made  in  prayer.  Finding  that  after  many  years  he 
was  growing  more  and  more  proud  and  contemptuous, 
he  could  ascribe  it  to  nothing  but  his  prayers,  and 
therefore  from  purely  conscientious  motives  he  left 
them  off.'' 

The  writer  has  heard  such  persons  boast  with  a 
good  deal  of  hilarity,  that  their  prayers  under  certain 
circumstances  must  have  troubled  one  and  another 
whom  they  named.  That  is  not  praying  to  God,  but 
at  men.     It  is  an  insult  to  the  providence  of  God,  and 

18 


206  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

to  the  Holy  Ghost ;  it  is  only  indirect  preaching ;  it  is 
making  the  mercy-seat  a  sounding-board  to  alarm  or 
persuade  a  fellow-sinner,  or  to  advertise  the  operator's 
sanctity  and  zeal.  Many  an  unsuspected  listener  has 
been  blessed  ;  but  did  God  ever  bless  such  mockery  ? 

There  should  be  special  endeavor  to  realize  the  di- 
vine presence.  With  whom  have  I  now  to  do  ?  To 
whom  am  I  now  about  to  speak  ?  The  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  whose  eyes  are  in  every  place,  beholding 
the  evil  and  the  good.  ^'  Search  me,  0  God,  and  know 
my  heart."  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Bury,  a  lady  of  eminent 
piety,  had  in  her  closet  for  many  years  this  motto  in 
Hebrew,  "  Thou,  God,  seest  me  !  " 

The  distinctive  value  of  secret  prayer  consists  in 
the  freedom  and  particularity  of  address  which  it  al- 
lows. The  feelings  and  wants  of  every  one  are  as 
peculiar  as  his  own  individuality,  and  his  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances. Who  is  there  that  has  not  petitions  to 
offer  for  which  no  one  else  can  possibly  furnish  the 
language  ?     "  The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness." 

Is  it  expedient,  in  this  exercise,  to  pray  audibly? 
If  there  is  no  one  within  hearing,  it  is  unobjectionable, 
and  even  desirable.  Otherwise,  silence  is  expedient  or 
at  most  a  whisper.  When  Abraham's  servant  stood  at 
the  well,  he  said,  "  0  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abra- 
ham, send  me  good  speed  this  day,  and  show  kindness 
unto  my  master  Abraham,"  but  afterward,  in  narrating 
the  circumstances,  he  said,  "  Before  I  had  done  speak- 
ing in  mine  heart."  It  was  a  silent  jirayer.  When 
the  mother  of  Samuel  prayed  and  vvept  sore,  she 
spake  in  her  heart ;  only  her  lips  moved,  but  her  voice 
was  not  heard.     Prayer  is  the  ascent  of  the  mind  to 


SECRET     PRAYER.  207 

God.  When  vocal  it  is  supposed  to  have  reference 
usually  to  others  uniting  in  the  same  act ;  and  then  it 
is  social,  not  private.  The  voice  is  only  a  handmaid 
of  prayer.  Our  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  knows 
what  the  heart  says,  before  its  message  finds  utter- 
ance at  the  mouth.  An  advantage,  however,  may  be 
found,  in  employing  audible  sounds  as  an  auxiliary 
to  fixed  attention,  and  a  preventive  to  wandering 
thoughts. 

One  thing  worthy  of  special  attention  is  regularity. 
Very  few  have  such  a  relish  for  communion  with  God 
as  will  lead  them  to  the  place  of  retirement  with  due 
frequency,  and  at  proper  intervals,  unless  there  be 
fixed  hours.  System  in  human  action  is  indispensable 
to  the  highest  results,  and  this  holds  good  in  religious 
as  well  as  secular  life.  If  there  are  no  established 
seasons  for  private  converse  with  the  Father  of  spirits, 
the  probability  is  that  fatigue  or  the  pressure  of 
worldly  cares  will  interfere  with  its  performance.  The 
quantity  of  food  taken  into  the  system  would  often  be 
inadequate,  were  it  not  for  the  regular  recurrence  of 
hours  appointed  for  the  purpose.  How  few  there  are 
who  so  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  that  an 
inward  craving  compels  them,  three  or  more  times 
every  twenty-four  hours,  to  cry,  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread  "  !  Who  has  not  found  a  determined  pur- 
pose with  respect  to  certain  seasons  indispensable  to 
keep  up  the  habit  regularly  ? 

During  absence  from  home,  or  any  unusual  circum- 
stances, special  thoughtfulness  is  required.  Peter 
when  away  from  Jerusalem  would  still  at  one  of  his 
accustomed  seasons,  about  midday,  retire  to  the  house- 


208  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

top  for  devotion.  Every  one  needs  the  fortifying  in- 
fluence of  regularity;  and  ordinarily  the  law  of  as- 
sociation of  ideas  as  seen  in  the  recurrence  of  stated 
periods  needs  to  be  regarded. 

When  temptation  so  far  prevails  as  to  lead  to  omis- 
sion, who  does  not  experience  disastrous  consequen- 
ces ?  Philip  Henry  often  gave  his  children  and  friends 
this  advice  :  "  Be  sure  you  look  to  your  secret  duty  ; 
keep  that  up  whatever  you  do.  The  soul  cannot  pros- 
per in  the  neglect  of  it.''  He  observed  that  apostasy 
generally  begins  at  the  closet-door.  Secret  prayer  is 
first  carelessly  performed,  then  frequently  omitted, 
and  after  a  while  wholly  cast  off;  and  then  farewell 
God  and  Christ  and  all  religion. 

The  morning  is  eminently  an  appropriate  season. 
We  read  of  our  Saviour  that  "  in  the  morning,  rising 
up  a  great  while  before  day,  he  went  out,  and  departed 
into  a  solitary  place,  and  there  prayed."  How  fit  that 
the  first  waking  moments  should  be  given  to  Him  who 
has  once  more  afforded  protection  during  defenceless 
hours  ;  who  has  turned  aside  the  pestilence  that  walk- 
eth  in  darkness,  and  opened  our  eyes  in  this  world  ! 
How  fit  that  the  thoughts  when  calm  and  collected 
should  ascend  to  the  Father  of  spirits  !  Before  the 
bustle  of  a  world  waking  up  to  its  daily  turmoil  assail 
our  ear ;  before  the  pressure  of  private  cares  come 
with  its  full  burden  on  the  soul,  let  it  commune  awhile 
with  God  and  the  Saviour.  It  is  wise  to  get  the  start 
of  a  busy  adversary  and  a  roving  heart,  and  let  the 
journey  of  each  day  take  its  direction  at  the  mercy- 
seat.  Do  your  business  engagements  press  hard? 
Are  your  very  dreams  toilsome  ?    Have  the  first  rays 


SECRET     PRAYER.  209 

of  morning  scarce  heralded  the  approaching  sun,  be- 
fore you  prepare  for  the  Avork  of  the  day?  Go  to 
your  closet.  In  the  solemn  stillness  of  early  dawn,  di- 
rect your  prayer  to  God,  that  he  will  not  suffer  the 
cares  of  this  world  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches  to 
drown  your  soul  in  destruction  and  perdition.  Are 
you  a  traveller ;  are  you  an  invalid ;  have  you  some 
secret  and  untold  trial ;  or  has  the  day  for  some  un- 
usual and  particularly  responsible  work  or  situation 
come  ?  Betimes,  then,  to  your  closet.  Think  not  of  a 
lost  friend,  a  present  malady,  or  an  anticipated  per- 
plexity, till  you  have  thought  of  God  and  spread  out 
your  case  before  him.  Deem  not  the  day  begun  till 
the  light  of  heaven,  shining  into  your  secret  chamber, 
has  made  morning  in  your  soul.  "  In  the  days  of  our 
fathers,"  says  Bishop  Burnet,  "  when  a  person  came 
early  to  the  door  of  his  neighbor,  and  desired  to  speak 
with  the  master  of  the  house,  it  was  as  common  a 
thing  for  the  servants  to  tell  him  with  freedom,  '  My 
master  is  at  prayer,'  as  it  is  now  to  say,  '  My  master  is 
not  up.'  " 

Another  division  of  time  appropriate  for  this  duty 
is  evening.  The  close  of  the  day,  or  the  hour  for 
retiring  to  rest,  naturally  brings  to  mind  the  final  wind- 
ing-up of  life.  Sleep  is  too  nearly  an  image  of  death 
not  to  be  noticed  as  such  by  the  most  thoughtless. 
"  Grave-clothes  are  but  night-clothes."  .  And  if  the 
hour  of  death  is  a  solemn  one  ;  if,  in  view  of  a  whole 
past  life,  the  soul  trembles,  and  betakes  itself  in  earnest 
prayer  to  the  throne  of  grace,  shall  it  not  obey  the 
order  of  nature,  and  carefully  review  so  considerable 
a  portion  of  time  as   a   day,  this   little  life,  this  miniar 

18* 


210  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

ture  of  one's  terrestrial  history  ?  Before  drowsiness 
renders  it  torpid,  shall  it  not,  in  retirement,  calmly 
survey  and  confess  its  faults,  thankfully  acknowledge 
God's  mercies,  affectionately  remember  all  who  may 
have  particular  claim  to  remembrance,  and  then,  in 
peaceful  reliance  upon  Christ,  give  itself  up,  whether 
sleeping  or  waking,  living  or  dying,  to  be  the  Lord's  ? 
In  regard  to  a  serious  retrospect  of  each  day,  there 
were  certain  heathen  sages  who  might  put  us  to 
blush.  Pythagoras  enjoined  upon  his  disciples  a  daily 
season  of  private  contemplation,  and  every  evening  a 
faithful  review  of  their  feelings  and  deportment. 

There  are  extraordinary  as  well  as  stated  seasons 
when  this  privilege  is  particularly  valuable.  Sudden 
emergencies,  perplexities,  and  trials,  often  occur,  in 
which,  if  the  time  will  allow  more  than  an  ejaculatory 
prayer,  special  direction  and  support  should  be  sought. 
There  are  events,  which,  if  not  occurring  suddenly, 
come  but  once,  or  but  seldom,  to  the  same  individual, 
and  in  view  of  which  an  express  season  should  be  set 
apart  for  secret  prayer. 

Morning  and  evening  prayer  in  the  closet  does  not 
exhaust  the  believer's  privilege.  David  says,  "  Even- 
ing and  morning  and  at  noon  will  I  pray,  and  cry 
aloud,  and  he  shall  hear  my  voice ; "  and  in  another 
place,  "  Seven  times  a  day  do  I  praise  thee."  ^'Daniel 
kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a  day.'^  Three 
meals  a  day  are  not  ordinarily  deemed  too  much;  and 
will  any  one  maintain  that  our  spiritual  necessities  occur 
with  any  less  frequency  or  urgency  than  those  of  the 
body? 

If  an  examination  were  made,  it  would  perhaps  be 


SECRET     PRATER.  211 

found  that  stated  seasons  for  private  prayer  are  not 
now  generally  as  numerous  as  they  once  were.  The 
practice,  for  instance,  of  Chauncey,  one  of  the  early 
Presidents  of  Harvard  College,  was  not  altogether  unu- 
sual in  those  times.  It  was  his  custom  to  rise  at  four 
o'clock  throughout  the  year,  and  before  attending  to  any- 
thing else,  spend  nearly  an  hour  in  secret  prayer.  At 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  he  retired  about  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  for  a  similar  purpose.  The  same 
was  repeated  at  four  in  the  afternoon ;  and  at  nine  in 
the  evening,  another  hour  was  devoted  to  the  closet. 
Who  was  ever  in  the  habit  of  pausing  thus  amidst  his. 
daily  occupations,  without  deriving  an  argument  for  the 
practice  from  his  own  experience  ? 

What  Christian  can  be  fully  and  soberly  himself,  who 
is  not  often  alone  for  devotional  purposes  ?  Without 
that  he  will  labor  under  a  measure  of  spiritual  insan- 
ity, intoxication,  or  apathy.  His  independence,  his 
individuality,  will  suffer  invasion;  he  will  become  a 
creature  of  circumstances,  will  become  earthly,  will 
come  proportionately  under  the  power  of  the  god  of 
this  world,  and  fail  to  maintain  that  erect,  firm,  con- 
sciously responsible  character  required  of  every  be- 
liever. This  hour  of  habitual  retirement  is  the  day- 
star  arising  in  the  heart ;  a  longer  special  season  is  the 
calm  Indian  summer  of  the  soul. 

The  demand  for  such  private  observance  is  only  en- 
hanced by  eminence  of  station  and  pressure  of  cares. 
These  are  often  made  an  apology  for  omitting  the 
duty.  It  is  by  no  means  strange  that  a  man  over- 
whelmed with  duties  should  be  covetous  of  time,  and 
not  able  to  see  how  one  of  his  waking  hours  can  be 


THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

/en  to  anything  wliich  does  not  directly  further 
secular  business.  But  that  is  a  mistake.  This  is  a 
time-saving  arrangement.  The  hallowed  hour  speeds 
everything.  If  any  one  can  afford  to  do  without  it, 
the  man  of  high  standing  and  many  cares  cannot ;  nor 
does  he  need  to.  Did  not  David  have  a  full  share  of 
the  burdens  of  state  upon  him?  Yet  was  he  not  a 
devout  man  ?  and  did  he  not  meditate  on  God's  law  all 
the  day  ?  When  Joshua  was  called  to  succeed  Moses 
as  general  and  judge  of  Israel,  the  Lord  said  to  him, 
"  This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth,  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night." 
Was  not  Daniel  prime-minister  of  the  greatest  king- 
dom then  on  earth  ?  and  did  he  not  need,  and  could 
he  not  find  leisure  for  his  devotions  as  regularly  as 
for  his  meals  ?  The  Emperor  Constantino  every  day, 
at  stated  times,  shut  himself  up  for  private  converse 
with  God.  Similar  was  the  habit  of  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus,  of  Sweden.  At  such  seasons,  none  of  his  attend- 
ants ventured  to  interrupt  him.  In  one  instance,  while 
encamped  before  Werben,  he  had  been  several  hours 
alone  in  his  pavilion.  At  length  a  favorite,  having  an 
important  matter  to  communicate,  came  softly  to  the 
door,  and,  looking  in,  saw  the  king  engaged  devoutly 
upon  his  knees.  Fearing  to  molest  him  in  that  sacred 
exercise,  he  was  about  to  withdraw,  when  the  king, 
bidding  him  come  in,  said,  "  Thou  wonderest  to  see 
me  in  this  posture,  since  I  have  so  many  thousands  of 
subjects  to  pray  for  me  ;  but  I  tell  thee  no  man  has 
more  need  to  pray  for  himself  than  he  who,  having  to 
render  an  account  of  his  actions  to  none  but  God,  is 
for  that  reason  more  closely  assaulted  by  the  Devil 
than  all  other  men  beside." 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  213 

Alfred  the  Great  devoted  full  one-third  of  his  time 
to  religious  exercises  and  studies ;  and  the  laborious 
Welsh,  son-in-law  of  John  Knox,  often  gave  one-third 
of  his  hours  to  prayer.  Who,  from  the  apostles  down- 
ward, ever  had  such  a  burden  of  disheartening  and 
perplexing  labors  as  Martin  Luther?  Yet,  in  the 
midst  of  all,  he  could  devote  three  hours  daily  to 
devout  study  and  to  prayer ;  and  but  for  those  three 
hours  he  never  would  have  found  time  for  liis  over- 
whelming duties. 

Universally,  the  necessity  in  the  case  is  proportion- 
ate to  the  amount  of  responsibilities  and  the  pressure 
of  secular  concerns.  Mothers  with  their  many  cares, 
merchants  with  their  many  schemes,  mechanics  with 
their  busy  toils,  the  politician,  the  physician,  the 
teacher,  the  preacher,  as  they  value  their  souls,  should 
betake  themselves  unremittingly  to  the  closet. 


n.     FAMILY   PRAYER. 

The  family  is  the  oldest  institution  on  earth.  It 
crowned  the  work  of  creation.  Home  is  another  tab- 
ernacle, a  domestic  sanctuary.  The  parent  is  installed 
as  pastor,  ajid  this  is  a  settlement  for  life.  Tempting 
offers  may  not  bribe,  nor  disaffection  drive  him  away. 
The  elders  of  the  family,  those  who  have  been  made 
overseers  of  the  domestic  flock,  unite  in  themselves 
much  that  belongs  to  civil  magistracy  and  to  the  pas- 
toral ofiice.  For  the  maintenance  of  due  sobriety,  for 
the  discountenancing  of  error  and  all  irregularities, 
and  for  the  observance  of  daily  worship,  they  are  held 


214  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

responsible.  "With  regard  to  instruction  and  other  ap- 
propriate means  of  household  training,  they,  too,  are  to 
be  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season. 

If  there  are  no  children,  there  are  usually  domestics, 
more  or  less  under  the  same  regimen.  Why  is  it  that 
Providence  brings  these  individuals  within  the  sphere 
of  our  influence,  but  that,  first  of  all,  we  may  benefit 
their  souls  ?  Numerous  enough  are  the  faults  of 
parents,  guardians,  and  masters,  but  no  neglect  of 
theirs  is  more  general  and  more  glaring  than  this. 
Would  that  master  of  a  family  be  accounted  a  gener- 
ous provider  who  should  furnish  a  meal  only  once  a 
week  ?  He  would  be  accounted  worse  than  an  infidel, 
worse  than  a  pagan,  if  he  made  no  provision  at  all. 
Are  spiritual  necessities  less  urgent  than  those  of  the 
body? 

With  what  fulness  and  plainness  should  the  parent 
pray  for  and  instruct  the  child  and  the  whole  parlor 
auditory!  How  often,  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house, 
and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou  liest 
down,  and  when  thou  risest  up,  is  there  a  happy  mo- 
ment for  setting  home  the  all-important  lessons  of 
heavenly  wisdom !  Favorable  junctures  there  are 
every  week,  which  the  parent  alone  can  seize  upon,  as 
genial  seasons  for  sowing  the  good  seed,  and  for  water- 
ing the  same  with  intercessory  tears.  Where  else,  in 
social  prayer,  can  there  be  such  familiarity,  such  par- 
ticularity, as  at  the  domestic  altar  ?  Who,  then,  singly 
or  socially,  at  the  head  of  a  family,  can  refrain  from 
earnest  pleading  in  behalf  of  the  household  ? 

A  Christian  home  !  What  urgency  of  obligation, 
what  untold  volumes  of  sacred  meaning  are  in  that 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  215 

T\^ord  !  A  home  of  prayer  !  What  associations  does  it 
call  up  !  It  is  the  vestibule  of  heaven.  Above  all,  a 
Sabbath  evening  at  home  —  do  you  not  remember  its 
hours  of  hallowed  joy  ;  how  its  sun  sank  so  cheerfully 
to  the  sound  of  household  praise  ;  how  its  sweet  twi- 
light faded  away  amidst  the  songs  of  that  domestic 
Zion  ?  Did  you  not  sometimes  forget  that  it  is  only 
an  antepast  of  everlasting  blessedness,  and  not  its  full 
fruition?  Be  that  my  home,  and  I  envy  not  the 
Caesars. 

The  Bible  does  not  expressly  enjoin  family  worship. 
The  same  is  true  of  a  large  class  of  duties  which  are 
generally  admitted.  Many  of  the  social  obligations, 
many  things  pertaining  to  public  worship,  not  to  speak 
of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  female  communion,  and  the 
like,  are  of  this  description.  Where  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  Christianity  are  loved,  the  essential  duties 
appreciated,  and  an  enhghtened  spirit  of  obedience 
exists,  there  will  be  but  little  difficulty  in  regard  to 
the  application  of  general  principles,  or  in  regard  to 
those  observances  for  which  there  is  no  positive  pre- 
cept. If  there  be  willingness  to  comply  with  an 
authorized  practice,  no  reasoning  is  usually  needed  ; 
if  there  be  a  determined  disinclination,  no  reasoning 
will  remove  it. 

As  an  auxiliary  in  promoting  domestic  order,  author- 
ity, and  affection,  family  worship  is  important  beyond 
all  estimate.  Without  it,  there  can  be  little  hope  of 
early  piety,  and  little  appropriate  training  for  civil  so- 
ciety, and  for  the  church.  Who  that  has  been  reared 
under  such  hallowed  influence  does  not  acknowledge 
its  benign  power  ?    How  do  the  thoughts  of  the  young 


216  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

man,  whose  paternal  home  is  among  the  distant  hills, 
linger  around  the  scene  of  his  childhood!  How  does 
his  heart  glow  at  the  recollection  of  glad  hours  in  that 
happy  group,  and  under  that  beloved  roof!  It  was 
his  home, — a  word  meaning  more  than  tongue  can  tell. 
Never  will  he  forget  the  parting  words  of  his  father  as 
he  stood  at  the  door,  and,  still  pressing  the  soft,  youth- 
ful hand,  said,  "  My  son,  if  sinners  entice  thee,  consent 
thou  not !  "  He  heeds  those  Avords,  for  he  knows  that, 
morning  and  evening,  he  is  remembered  at  the  family 
altar. 

How  does  every  old  man's  eye  moisten  at  the 
thought  of  early  scenes  !  His  parents  have  ceased 
to  pray ;  it  was  years  ago  that  they  went  to  their 
everlasting  reward  ;  but  the  influence  of  their  prayers 
is  upon  him  at  this  hour,  and  will  bo  to  all  eternity. 

Who  ever  raised  an  objection  against  family  wor- 
ship? Who  ever  questioned  its  utility?  Still,  it 
may  be  asked,  on  what  considerations  is  this  practice 
grounded  ?  It  might  be  argued  from  the  general  obli- 
gation of  religious  worship  at  all  suitable  times.  Con- 
sidered simply  as  a  rational  creature,  man  is  evidently 
bound  to  recognize  the  authority  of  Heaven.  This  is 
the  fundamental  truth  of  all  religions.  It  commends 
itself  to  eveiy  one,  and  is  admitted  by  all  except  the 
miserable  few  who  have  said  in  their  hearts  there  is 
no  God.  This  universal  obhgation  being  granted,  it 
only  remains  to  inquire  on  what  occasions  and  in  what 
manner  shall  divine  honors  be  paid  to  the  author  and 
supporter  of  our  being  ?  At  what  times,  in  what  ca- 
pacities, shall  dependence  be  acknowledged,  and  grat- 
itude  expressed?     No  answer,  satisfactory  even  to 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  217 

natural  religion,  can  be  given,  which  does  not  specify 
the  family  circle,  with  its  daily  recurring  wants  and 
enjoyments. 

The  duty  of  social  prayer  in  general  being  grant- 
ed, we  infer  that  this  particular  form  is  obligatory. 
Nearly  all  the  reasons  which  go  to  show  the  import- 
ance of  united  devotion  under  any  circumstances  may 
be  urged  with  peculiar  force  here.  In  the  patriarchal 
times,  for  aught  that  appears  to  the  contrary,  domestic 
worship  was  the  only  kind  of  social  worship.  Nowhere 
else  is  the  social  principle  developed  with  so  much 
force  and  sacredness  as  in  the  family.  Most  of  those  who 
have  not  the  written,  revealed  law,  who  are  a  law  unto 
themselves,  have  practically  illustrated  this  in  their  re- 
ligious notions  and  observances.  Who  does  not  call  to 
mind  the  Teraphim  which  Rachel  carried  away  from 
her  homestead  ?  Household  gods  have  generally  occu- 
pied a  considerable  place  in  the  Pantheon  of  idolatry. 
Among  the  Romans,  particularly,  these  supposed  tute- 
lar divinities  were  held  in  high  estimation.  To  the 
Lares  and  Penates  were  attributed  the  power  of  ban- 
ishing evil  spirits  from  the  house,  and  of  maintaining 
guardianship  over  its  inmates.  Oblations,  with  other 
tokens  of  regard,  were  offered  to  them.  Is  it  not  mel- 
ancholy that  some  in  Chrfstian  lands  should  fall  below 
the  heathen  in  their  reasoning  and  practice  respecting 
domestic  religion  ?  Will  not  the  men  of  Nineveh  and 
Rome  rise  up  and  condemn  many  of  this  generation  ? 

The  obligation  of  family  worship  might  be  urged 
from  the  nature  of  the  family  constitution.  Not  less 
than  the  church  was  it  ordained  by  God.  And  what 
was  the  grand  design  of  this  first  ordinance  of  Jeho- 


218  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

vah  ?  It  was  to  establish  a  school  of  piety  where,  by 
wise  and  holy  discipline,  immortal  minds  may  be  nur- 
tured in  the  fear  and  service  of  God.  The  purpose  of 
this  primary  society  was  in  part  to  serve  as  a  model 
and  prelude  for  civil  society;  but  first  of  all  to  provide 
an  early  and  daily  religious  training.  The  great  end 
of  the  domestic  covenant  is  domestic  piety ;  but  can 
there  be  piety  without  prayer?  Can  there  be  religious 
discipline  in  the  household,  without  habitual  household 
prayer  ? 

The  head  of  the  family  is,  to  a  great  extent,  answer- 
able for, its  spiritual  interests.  In  some  respects  his 
charge  is  more  sacred  than  that  of  the  public  minister 
of  God.  Can  the  responsibilities  of  this  private  pas- 
torship be  suitably  discharged  where  the  divine  good- 
ness and  divine  claims  are  not  recognized  ?  And  can 
this  be  done  duly  where  there  is  not  stated  household 
prayer  ?  Herds  go  to  sleep  and  wake  without  direct- 
ing their  eyes  to  heaven ;  but  are  the  inmates  of  our 
families,  are  our  children,  like  our  cattle,  to  be  left  to 
the  teachings  of  mere  instinct  ? 

Among  the  duties  growing  out  of  the  family  consti- 
tution one  is,  by  example  and  precept  to  aftbrd  instruc- 
tion in  all  that  is  essential  to  holiness  and  happiness. 
The  purpose  and  effort  to  that  effect  must  exist,  or 
there  is  a  flagrant  omission.  Now,  has  it  ever  been 
found  that  religious  instruction  availed  anything  of 
importance  apart  from  a  devotional  spirit  ?  Does  God 
bless  the  dispensation  of  his  word  in  public  or  in  pri- 
vate, where  there  is  no  direct  and  reverential  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  name  ?  Concerning  the  father  of  the 
faithful  God  declared,  "  I  know  him  that  he  will  com- 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  219 

mand  his  children,  and  his  household  after  him,  and 
they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  do  justice  and 
judgment."  How  often,  in  the  history  of  that  patriarch 
and  of  his  sons,  do  we  find  mention  of  an  altar  built 
unto  the  Lord  !  Can  we  suppose  that,  a  few  instances 
excepted,  the  worship  performed  at  those  altars  was 
other  than  family  worship?  The  patriarch  was  not 
only  prince,  but  priest,  of  his  family.  It  was  to  him 
they  looked  for  instruction  and  for  the  offering  of 
atonement. 

It  clearly  devolves  on  the  father  of  the  household  to 
officiate  in  domestic  worship.  The  reasons  for  this  are 
substantially  the  same  as  those  which  make  it  proper 
for  men  to  lead  in  public  worship.  Where,  however, 
sickness,  absence,  or  death,  leaves  only  a  female  at  the 
head  of  a  family,  then,  if  no  point  of  Christian  delicacy 
be  violated,  it  belongs  to  her  to  offer  the  morning 
and  evening  incense.  A  son,  or  other  inmate,  or  the 
stranger  within  thy  gates,  may,  if  qualified,  perform 
the  delightful  duly.  The  Rev.  John  Bailey,  an  emi- 
nent divine  of  the  seventeenth  century,  had  a  mother, 
who  was  distinguished  for  her  piety,  and  a  father 
equally  distinguished  for  his  wickedness.  While  yet 
a  boy,  he  became  hopefully  pious,  and,  having  an  un- 
usual gift  in  prayer,  his  mother  set  him  to  conduct 
that  exercise.  The  father,  overhearing  him,  was  so 
struck  with  remorse  and  shame  at  finding  his  child, 
not  above  twelve  years  of  age,  in  the  performance  of 
this  duty,  that  he  was  brought  under  a  deep  convic- 
tion of  his  own  wretched  state,  and  afterwards  became 
a  man  of  prayer.  The  incident  is  one  of  thousands 
showing  that  family  worship  may  be  maintained,  and 


220  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

with  the  assurance  of  a  blessing,  under  circumstances 
that  seem  exceedingly  unfavorable. 

Private,  united  prayer  should  be  maintained  by 
those  who  together  constitute  the  head  of  a  house- 
hold. What  earthly  relation  is  regarded  by  God  as 
more  sacred  than  that  of  husband  and  wife  ?  Where 
there  are  two  so  intimately  united  by  reciprocal  at- 
tachments, vows,  and  indissoluble  interests,  can  any- 
thing be  more  suitable  than  that  they  often  present 
themselves  at  the  footstool  of  Him  who  has  joined  them 
together  under  a  bond  which  no  man  may  sever?  The 
biography  of  that  eminent  Christian  and  minister, 
Philip  Henry,  gives  the  following :  "  In  addition  to 
their  family  prayers,  strictly  so  called,  he  and  his  wife 
constantly  prayed  together  morning  and  evening ; 
and  never,  if  they  were  together,  at  home  or  abroad, 
was  it  intermitted  ;  and  from  his  own  experience  of 
the  benefit  of  this  practice,  he  would  take  all  opportu- 
nities to  recommend  it  to  those  in  that  relation,  as  con- 
ducing very  much  to  the  comfort  of  it,  and  to  their 
furtherance  in  that  which,  he  would  often  say,  is  the 
greatest  duty  of  yoke-fellows,  and  that  is  to  do  all  they 
can  to  help  one  another  to  heaven.  He  would  say  that 
this  duty  of  husbands  and  wives  praying  together  is 
intimated  in  that  of  the  apostle,  in  1  Peter  iii.  7,  where 
they  are  exhorted  to  live  as  heirs  together  of  the  grace 
of  life,  that  their  pra^^ers,  especially  their  prayers  to- 
gether, be  not  hindered  ;  that  nothing  may  be  done  to 
hinder  them  from  praying  together,  nor  to  hinder  them 
in  it,  nor  to  spoil  the  success  of  those  prayers.  This 
sanctifies  the  relation,  and  fetcheth  in  a  blessing  upon 
it,  makes  the  comforts  of  it  more  sweet,  and  the  cares 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  25l 

and  crosses  of  it  the  more  easy,  and  is  an  excellent 
means  of  preserving  and  increasing  love  in  the  rela- 
tion. Many  to  whom  he  hath  recommended  the  prac- 
tice of  this  duty  have  blessed  God  for  him,  and  for  his 
advice  concerning  it." 

At  what  times  should  this  duty  be  performed  ?  Cer- 
tainly oftener  than  once  a  week,  as  is  the  practice  of 
some ;  and  more  than  once  a  day,  as  is  the  practice  of 
others.  Twice  a  day  is  the  obvious  rule.  "  My  voice 
shalt  thou  hear  in  the  morning,  0  Lord ;  in  the  morning 
will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee,  and  will  look  up. 
Let  my  prayer  be  set  before  thee  as  incense,  and  the 
lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the  evening  sacrifice."  In 
addition  to  the  two  stated  seasons  of  family  worship,  it 
was  a  practice  among  the  early  Christians  to  rise  at 
midnight  to  engage  in  prayer  and  the  singing  of 
psalms  ;  the  custom  having  originated,  probably,  in 
times  of  persecution,  when  the  fear  of  enemies  pre- 
vented their  uniting  in  religious  exercises  during  the 
day. 

Punctuality  should  be  maintained.  For  every  stated 
duty  there  needs  to  be  a  stated  season,  and,  under  all 
ordinary  circumstances,  that  season  should  be  faith- 
fully observed.  What  is  thus  generally  true,  is  partic- 
ularly true  in  this  practice.  How  largely  would  the 
enjoyment  and  profit  of  public  Sabbath  services  be 
abridged,  and  how  soon  would  the  largest  congrega- 
tion be  scattered,  if  the  hour  of  assembling  were  va- 
riable, and  depended  upon  the  caprice  of  preacher  or 
people  !  Scarcely  less  important  is  it  that  there  should 
be  a  stated  time  for  worship  in  the  domestic  commu- 
nity. 

19* 


222  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

The  value  of  a  fixed  season  lies  partly  in  its  ten- 
dency to  secure  a  constant  observance.  Sickness, 
pressure  of  business,  and  other  circumstances,  often 
tempt  to  a  postponement  or  entire  omission.  Homely 
as  the  adage  is,  it  may  be  repeated :  Prayer  and  prov- 
ender hinder  no  man's  journey.  Sometimes  the  fail- 
ure occurs  at  a  juncture  when  the  divine  presence 
should  be  specially  invoked.  The  hurry  of  departure 
on  a  journey,  or  the  lateness  of  the  hour  of  return 
from  a  social  party,  and  a  multitude  of  other  cases,  not 
seldom  seem  a  sufficient  apology  for  crowding  out  the 
morning  or  evening  sacrifice.  The  firmly-fixed  rule 
should  be  to  perform  the  duty.  The  day  when  the  ark 
of  God  came  from  its  temporary  lodgement  in  the  house 
of  Obed-Edom  to  the  place  prepared  on  Mount  Sion, 
was  a  memorable  one.  Never  had  there  been  such  a 
scene  of  public,  rehgious  rejoicing.  ''  David  and  all 
the  house  of  Israel  brought  up  the  ark  of  the  Lord 
with  shouting  and  with  the  sound  of  the  trumpet." 
Burnt-ofierings  and  peace-offerings  in  unwonted  abun- 
dance were  presented  before  the  Lord.  Provisions 
were  distributed  amply  among  the  people.  ^^And,  as 
soon  as  David  had  made  an  end  of  offering  burnt-offer- 
ings and  peace-offerings,  he  blessed  the  people  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  So  all  the  people  departed  every 
one  to  his  own  house.  Then  David  returned  to  bless 
his  household."  The  head  of  the  nation  was  also  the 
head  of  a  family.  Having  discharged  an  important 
public  duty,  he  did  not  neglect  one  that  is  more  pri- 
vate. The  man  after  God's  own  heart  was  accustomed, 
we  infer,  to  engage  regularly  in  domestic  worship. 

Now  and  then  a  stranger  or  a  relative  known  to  be 


FAMILY     PRAYER.  223 

irreligious,  and  who  is  possessed  of  intellectual,  official 
or  other  superiority,  by  his  presence  so  intimidates  the 
head  of  a  household,  that  he  slights  God  rather  than 
run  the  risk  of  not  pleasing  a  fellow-man.  Christians 
sometimes  appear  to  be  ashamed  of  their  religion.  All 
the  family,  however,  should  be  at  service.  The  pres- 
ence of  guests  should  not  be  suffered  to  interfere  with 
ordinary  arrangements.  May  I  look  upon  that  person 
as  my  friend,  or  as  deserving  the  hospitality  of  my 
house,  who  is  unwilling  to  kneel  at  my  domestic  altar? 

What  shall  be  done  with  recusant  domestics,  partic- 
ularly Roman  Catholics  ?  Exercise  great  forbearance. 
Be  not  over-anxious  or  over-earnest.  Use  only  the 
kindest  language,  still  aiming  with  decision  to  secure 
conformity  to  proper  devotional  regulations.  If  much 
inconvenience  be  experienced  from  this  quarter,  then 
make  an  express  stipulation  at  the  outset. 

It  is  needless  to  suggest  that  ordinarily  the  reading 
of  the  Bible  should  form  a  part  in  household  worship, 
and  for  the  same  reason  as  in  the  public  Bethel.  There 
are  many  passages  which  should  be  frequently  read. 
One  of  these  is  the  hundred  and  first  Psalm :  "  I  will 
walk  within  my  house  with  a  perfect  heart.  He  that 
worketh  deceit  shall  not  dwell  within  my  house  ;  he 
that  telleth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in  my  sight."  Bishop 
Ridley,  the  martyr,  was  accustomed  to  read  this  chap- 
ter often  in  His  family,  as  containing  a  system  of  by-laws 
for  the  household. 

In  regard  to  the  subject-matter  of  household  prayer, 
variety  should  be  consulted.  It  is  hardly  consistent 
with  the  true  spirit  of  this  exercise  that  any  one  go 
through  the  same  form  of  words  so  uniformly  that  a 


224  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

member  of  the  family  may  soon  repeat  it  by  rote. 
One  expedient  for  preventing  monotony  is  to  con- 
sider in  anticipation  the  probable  character  peculiar  to 
each  day  as  it  comes,  and  at  evening  to  dwell  in  review 
upon  its  actual  history,  so  far  as  is  proper,  in  a  solemn 
address  to  Grod.  Frequently,  there  is  something  un- 
usual to  which  reference  may  be  suitably  made.  The 
arrival  and  departure  of  friends,  sickness  and  recov- 
ery, birthday,  disasters  by  fire  and  storm,  the  arrival 
of  heavy  or  joyful  tidings,  may  be  referred  to. 

It  is  exceedingly  desirable  that  singing  form  a 
branch  in  these  services.  The  early  Christians  held 
this  gift  in  high  esteem  as  an  auxiliary.  The  same 
was  true,  it  would  appear,  at  a  still  earlier  date.  "  It 
is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks  linto  the  Lord,  and  to 
sing  praises  unto  thy  name,  0  Most  High ;  to  show 
forth  thy  loving-kindness  every  morning,  and  thy  faith- 
fulness every  night."  If  there  were  no  other  occa- 
sion when  this  accomplishment  could  be  of  service, 
it  would  be  a  sufficient  reason  why  all  children  and 
youth  should  be  trained  in  it,  with  a  view  to  their 
uniting  around  the  family  altar.  The  voice  of  rejoic- 
ing and  salvation  is  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous. 

Seasons  of  special  family  prayer,  with  fasting,  may 
be  profitably  resorted  to  at  times.  Philip  Henry  often 
observed  such.  Dr.  Twisse,  the  learned  chairman  of 
the  Assembly  of  Divines  which  met  at  Westminster, 
was  accustomed  to  hold  a  fast  in  his  family  every 
month,  which  he  kept  up  through  life.  Jonathan  Burr, 
colleague  witli  Richard  Mather,  in  Dorchester,  main- 
tained a  similar  custom,  observing  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  in  private  with  his  consort,  before  the  sacra/- 


FAMILY     PEAYER. 


225 


ment  of  the  Lord  s  Supper,  in  order  not  only  to  prepare 
themselves  for  that  ordinance,  but  also  to   supplicate 
blessn.gs  for  their  family  and  neighborhood.  Jlanyoth- 
ers  m.ght  be  mentioned.     If  such  occasions  are  desire, 
ble  m  evil  and  ecclesiastical  communities,  is  not  their 
observance  in  households,  also?     When  cases  of  sick- 
ness, bereavement,  reverses,  filial  waywardness,  occur 
or  any  important  step  is  to  be  taken,  or  when  any  special 
blessing  is  to  be  sought,  may  not  a  season  of  ilimily 
fasting  and  prayer  with  great  propriety  and  profit  be 
observed?    When  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  took  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave  the  wood  for 
the    burnt-oftering,  and   rose  up  and  went  unto  the 
place  which  God  had  told  him,  is  it  probable  that  he 
forgot   or   omitted   family  worship   on   that   mornin<.^ 
Has  any  parent,  neglecting  this  duty,  a  right  to  e^'x^ 
pect  that  m  his  case  man's  necessity  will  be  God's 
opportunity?     Talk  not  of  a  want  of  concurrence  on 
the  part  of  your  family;  when  David  returned  to  bless 
his  househo  d,  his  wife  met  him  with  a  reproach  in  her 
mouth.    Talk  not  of  want  of  time  ;  is  not  God  entitled 
to  one  half-hour  in  the  day?     Talk  not  of  a  fiiilure  of 
language;  does  scandal  want  words  at  your  mouth' 
Urge  not  that  your  prayers  would  be  those  of  the 
wicked  and  therefore  an  abomination  ;  that  is  making 
sin  apologize  for  itself. 

You  and  your  dear  children  are  not  safe  in  the  ne-- 
lect  of  household  worship.  Have  you  ever  read  tlfe 
imprecation  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah  ?  "  Pom-  out  thy 
fury  upon  the  heathen  that  know  thee  not,  and  upon 
the  families  that  call  not  upon  thy  name."  The  prayer 
less  family  is  not  safe,  nor  are  the  members  who  absent 


226  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

themselves  from  the  domestic  altar  safe.  While  Job's 
sons  and  daughters  were  engaged  in  feasting,  he  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning  and  offered  burnt-offerings 
according  to  the  number  of  them  all ;  for  he  said,  It 
may  be  that  my  sons  have  sinned  and  cursed  God  in 
their  hearts.  Thus  did  Job  continually;  but  the  Sa- 
beans  and  the  Chaldeans,  the  fire  and  the  tornado, 
overwhelmed  them.  They  were  away  from  the  family 
altar.  Why  did  God  spare  Noah?  He  was  a  just 
man,  and  perfect  in  his  generations,  and  Noah  walked 
with  God.  God  now  spares  and  signally  blesses  the 
praying  family.  It  is  a  maxim  of  English  law  that 
every  man's  house  is  his  castle.  Hence  even  the  offi- 
cer of  government  may  not  forcibly  enter  it  to  execute 
a  civil  process.  Mere  family  occupancy  renders  it  thus 
inviolable ;  but  if  uniform  and  acceptable  prayer  be 
superadded,  the  home  becomes  more  than  a  castle ; 
the  very  elements  and  all  destructive  agencies  respect 
it.  ^'  He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most 
High  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty." 
A  Swiss  village,  consisting  of  nearly  a  hundred  houses, 
was  once  entirely  destroyed  by  an  avalanche,  except 
one  house,  in  which  lived  a  pious  family  who  were  at 
the  time  engaged  in  prayer.  "  God  is  our  refuge  and 
strength,  a  very  present  help  in  trouble.  Therefore 
will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed,  and 
though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea ;  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling 
thereof.  The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ;  the  God  of 
Jacob  is  our  refuge." 


SOCIAL     PRAYER.  227 


m.     SOCL\L    PRAYER. 

A  large  part  of  religious  duties  are  relative.  If 
there  were  no  such  organization  as  the  Christian 
church,  certain  common  ties  and  reciprocal  depen- 
dencies between  man  and  man  would  be  a  sufficient 
reason  why  joint  prayer  should  be  offered.  The  social 
principle  is  of  utmost  importance  to  the  spiritual  well- 
being  of  a  commnnity,  and  when  sanctified,  it  naturally 
seeks  the  enjoyment  of  devout  conference. 

"Take  a  ladder  and  climb  to  heaven  by  thyself 
alone,"  said  Constantine  to  a  selfish  Pharisee  of  his 
day.  True  piety  is  always  genial  and  generous,  going 
forth  in  quest  of  others  with  whom  to  share  the  favors 
sought  from  Heaven. 

What  a  power  is  prayer  as  a  social  exercise  in  the 
family  and  in  the  church-gathering !  What  more  po- 
tent engine  is  there  of  educational  influence  and  of 
mutual  sway !  Nothing  is  really  great  or  benignly 
efi'ective  except  as  related  to  God,  and  no  human 
being  is  ever  in  so  exalted  a  position  as  when  address- 
ing the  high  and  lofty  One.  Rank  and  learning  are 
for  the  moment  awed  in  the  presence  of  even  an  illit- 
erate person  when  speaking  to  God.  Such  an  one  is 
felt  to  be  an  august  personage,  and  for  the  time  he 
wields  a  social  influence  which  monarchs  might  envy. 
Ke  is  invested  with  somewhat  of  the  dignity  and  sanc- 
tity of  the  court  of  heaven. 

How  delightful  the  place  of  social  solemnities!  "For 
my  brethren  and  companions'  sake,  I  will  now  say 
Peace  be  within  thee  ! "     Men  associate  for  trade  and 


228  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

commerce,  for  aggression  and  defence,  for  literary  and 
other  purposes;  shall  they  not  do  the  same  in  a  re-, 
ligious  capacity?  This  social  element  is  a  force  of 
untold  value.  How  largely  did  it  enter  into  the  affec- 
tion of  the  Jews  for  their  temple,  whither  the  tribes 
go  up,  the  tribes  of  the  Lord  !  It  was  a  matter  of 
exultation  to  the  Psalmist,  and  all  Israel,  because 
there  was  little  Benjamin  with  their  ruler,  the  princes 
of  Judah  and  their  council,  the  princes  of  Zebulon,  and 
the  princes  of  Naphtali.  Strong,  indeed,  must  have 
been  the  motive  which  would  take  the  princes  of  Zeb- 
ulon and  Naphtali  such  a  distance,  three  times  a  year 
to  Jerusalem,  making  an  annual  amount^  of  travel  for 
this  purpose  exceeding  twelve  hundred  miles. 

The  rabbis  have  a  proverb,  "  The  prayers  of  many 
are  better  than  the  prayers  of  one."  We  assent  to  it. 
We  say,  indeed.  How  amiable  is  the  place  of  secret 
prayer  !  Yet  I  will  give  thanks  in  the  great  congre- 
gation, I  will  praise  thee  among  much  people.  Not 
when  alone,  but  when  together,  are  the  flock  the  safest 
and  happiest.  Scattered  drops  of  water  soon  evap- 
orate. It  is  by  caravans  that  we  go  safest  through  the 
desert,  and  with  most  of  joy  up  to  Jerusalem.  "  We 
come,"  says  Tertullian,  ^^by  troops  to  make  our  prayers 
to  God ;  that,  being  banded,  as  it  were,  together,  we 
may  with  strong  hand  sue  to  Him  for  his  favor.  This 
violence  is  grateful  unto  God." 

With  regard  to  church  prayer-meetings,  and  similar 
convocations,  the  testimony  of  earnest  Christians  has 
been  uniform.  A  distinguished  non-conformist  minis- 
ter, who  labored  two  hundred  years  ago  in  England, 
gives  the  following  as  the  result  of  his  observation : 


SOCIAL      PEAYER.  229 

"  First.  Hereby  knowledge  Avas  wonderfully  increased, 
so  that  I  was  never  acquainted  wdth  more  understand- 
ing Christians  in  all  my  life,  though  the  best  of  them 
went  but  in  russet  coats,  and  followed  husbandry. 
Secondly.  Holy  affections  by  this  mutual  whetting 
of  them  in  each  were  wonderfully  kindled  and  kept 
alive  in  them.  Thirdly.  Love,  by  frequent  society, 
was  nourished  and  increased,  so  that  all  the  profes- 
sors, though  living  ten  or  twelve  miles  asunder,  were 
as  intimate  and  familiar  as  if  they  had  all  been  of  one 
household.  Fourthly.  The  weak  were  strengthened, 
the  mourning  comforted,  the  erring  reclaimed,  the  de- 
jected raised  up,  and  all  of  them  mutually  edified  in 
the  most  holy  faith."  One  of  the  eminent  early  sons 
of  New  England  says,  with  respect  to  gatherings  of 
this  kind,  "  It  is  very  certain  that  where  such  private 
meetings,  under  a  good  conduct,  are  kept  alive,  the 
Christians  which  have  composed  them  have,  like  so 
many  '  coals  of  the  altar,'  kept  one  another  alive,  and 
kept  up  a  lively  Christianity  in  the  neighborhood. 
Such  societies  have  been  tried  and  strong  energies,  to 
uphold  the  power  of  godliness.  The  throwing  up  of 
such  societies  has  been  accompanied  with  a  visible 
decay  of  godliness  ;  the  less  love  to  them,  the  less  use 
of  them  there  has  been  in  a  place,  the  less  has  godli- 
ness flourished  there,  the  less  there  has  been  of  the 
kingdom  of  Grod."  ^'  The  prayers  of  such  well-dis- 
posed societies  may  fetch  down  marvellous  favors 
from  heaven  on  their  pastors,  whose  lives  may  be  pro- 
longed, and  gifts  augmented,  and  graces  brightened, 
and  labors  prospered  in  answer  to  the  supplications  of 
such  associated  families ;  and  the  interests  of  religion 

20 


23.0  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

may  be  mightily  preserved  and  promoted  in  the  whole 
flock  by  their  fervent  supplications,  and  the  Spirit  of 
grace  poured  out  upon  the  rising  generation.  Yea,  all 
the  land  may  fare  the  better  for  them."  Thomas  Cob- 
bett,  two  hundred  years  ago  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Lynn,  Massachusetts,  writes,  "  Public  prayer  is  a  pub- 
lic engaging  and  compacting  of  the  hearts  and  spirits 
of  God's  faithful  ones.  '  They  continued  steadfastly  in 
prayers ;  and  all  that  believed  were  together,  and  had 
all  things  in  common  ;'that  they  may  all  call  upon  him, 
with  one  consent,  as  if  the  latter  were  for  the  sake  of 
the  former.  The  joii>t  exercises  of  mutual  graces  in  the 
common  work  breed  and  feed  love  and  mutual  respect. 
As  it  is  with  any  two  or  three  ministers,  or  other 
godly  persons  used  to  pray  most  together,  they  love 
and  cleave  most  together  ;  as  musicians  that  used  to 
play  often  in  concert  together,  they  used  to  be  most 
friendly  to  each  other.  So  it  is  in  an  assembly  of  per- 
sons earnestly  exercised  in  public  prayer."  The  Rev. 
John  Newton  writes :  "  I  look  upon  prayer-meetings 
as  the  most  profitable  exercises,  excepting  the  public 
preaching,  in  which  Christians  can  engage  ;  they  have 
a  distinct  tendency  to  kill  a  worldly,  trifling  spirit,  to 
draw  down  a  divine  blessing  upon  all  our  concerns, 
compose  difi'erences,  and  enkindle,  at  least  to  main- 
tain, the  flame  of  divine  love  among  brethren."  "  I 
am  confirmed  in  the  opinion,'-  says  that  observing  and 
godly  man,  Felix  Nefl",  ^' that  whosoever,-even  were  he 
an  angel,  should  neglect  such  meetings,  under  any  pre- 
text whatever,  is  very  little  to  be  depended  upon,  and 
cannot  be  reckoned  among  the  sheep  of  Christ's  fold." 
It  is  not  ministerial  experience  alone  which  thus 


SOCIAL     PRAYER.  231 

expresses  itself.  A  pious  cartman,  who  wag  always 
fouud  in  his  place  at  the  prayer-meeting,  when  told 
that  he  ought  to  stay  at  horae,  after  the  fatigues  and 
exposures  of  the  day,  would  reply,  "  I  find  I  can  rest 
all  the  better  by  going  to  meeting ;  I  forget  all  my 
pains  and  anxieties  and  labors, — feel  stronger  and  bet- 
ter prepared  for  the  next  day's  labor."  Another  labor- 
ing man  once  declared,  "I  love  the  church,  I  love 
preachmg ;  but  dearer  than  all,  I  love  the  prayer- 
meeting.  I  always  feel  as  if  I  were  going  into  my 
Father's  house  when  I  enter  the  room  where  we  meet 
for  prayer." 

Peculiar  mutual  responsibilities  lie  upon  those  who 
have  entered  into  church  covenant  with  one  another. 
They  stand  pledged  to  seek  the  peace,  purity,  and 
unity  of  the  whole  brotherhood.  Can  these  pledges 
be  redeemed  to  a  proper  extent  without  such  stated 
seasons  of  devout  conference,  or  something  equivalent 
to  them  ?  Not  that  the  whole  duty  of  watch  and  fel- 
lowship can  be  discharged  there  ;  but  will  it  be  per- 
formed with  an  equal  degree  of  ease  and  completeness, 
if  such  meetings  are  neglected?  ^Vliat  person  habitu- 
ally and  voluntarily  absent,  will  undertake  to  say  that 
he  has  not  been  guilty  of  a  special  delinquency  in 
regard  to  church  engagements  ? 

"  Exhort  one  another  daily."  Habitual  exhortation 
implies  social  prayer.  "  And  let  us  consider  one 
another,  to  provoke  unto  love,  and  to  good  works ;  not 
forsaking  the  assembling  of  ourselves  together,  as  the 
manner  of  some  is,  but  exhorting  one  another."  A 
weekly  church  prayer-meeting  is  not  indeed  specified, 
but  will  any  one  say  it  is  not  included  ?  or  that,  if  not 


232  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

frequented,  this  requirement  "will,  with  any  likelihood, 
be  complied  with?  "Teaching  and  admonishing  one 
another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  sing- 
ing and  making  melody  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord." 
By  this  mutual  admonition  and  other  exercises,  ordi- 
nary pulpit  instructions  are  not  meant,  but  social 
meetings. 

Who  doubts  that  our  Lord  frequently  united  thus 
with  his  disciples  ?  Certain  noteworthy  instances  are 
recorded.  On  one  occasion,  he  took  Peter,  James,  and 
John,  and  went  up  into  a  mountain  to  pray.  "  It  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here,"  said  Peter.  Rough  as  that 
mountain  might  be,  cheerless  and  inhospitable  in  itself, 
yet  was  it  good  for  the  disciples  to  be  there,  because 
Christ  was  with  them.  They  ^vitnessed  such  glory, 
heard  such  a  testimony,  and  experienced  such  elevated 
emotions  as  were  before  unknown  to  them.  Say  not 
we  the  same  respecting  the  place  of  prayer,  "  It  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here  "  ?  Our  joys  and  benefits  are 
social.  ''The  purest  produce  of  the  olive,"  writes 
Montgomery,  "  is  the  oil  which  distils  freely  from  the 
gentlest  pressure  of  its  fruit ;  the  most  precious  juice 
of  the  grape  is  that  which  flows  from  the  thick  clus- 
ters heaped  abundantly  together,  without  any  other 
compulsion  tlian  their  o\vn  ripe  weight  and  bursting 
fulness." 

In  another  instance  yet  more  memorable,  Christ 
went  "  unto  a  place  called  Gethsemane,  where  was  a 
garden,  into  which  Jesus  and  his  disciples  entered." 
If,  on  that  night  of  anguish,  he  chose  to  withdraw  from 
them  for  secret  prayer,  it  was  with  the  expectation 
that,  as  the  smallest  expression  of  sympathy  which 


SOCIAL     PEAYEE.  233 

could  be  looked  for,  they  would  at  the  same  time  inter- 
cede for  him.  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  in  the  hour 
of  this  extreme  mental  suffering  and  known  danger, 
he  did  not  go  elsewhere  than  to  the  place  ordinarily 
frequented  by  him  and  his  disciples  for  devout  con- 
ference. "  Judas,  who  betrayed  him,  also  knew  the 
place."  Are  we  not  thus  taught  that  even  personal 
insecurity  is  not  always  a  suflScient  excuse  for  absence 
from  the  prayer-meeting?  Does  not  an  agonized 
Saviour  say  to  us,  "  Can  ye  not  watch  with  me  one 
hour?  " 

We  look  in  upon  the  first-mentioned  prayer-meeting 
after  our  Saviour's  resurrection.  The  last  time  he 
had  seen  them  together,  Peter  denied  him  with  an 
oath,  and  they  all  forsook  him  and  fled ;  yet  now  when 
he  comes,  it  is  not  with  a  reproachful  look  or  word  to 
Simon,  the  son  of  Jonas,  or  to  any  of  them ;  but, 
"  Peace  be  unto  you ! "  It  was  a  seasonable  visit. 
How  singular  that  the  disciples  should  have  been 
affrighted.  Did  they  not  know  their  Lord  ?  Did  they 
not  believe  what  he  had  said  touching  his  death  and 
resurrection  ?  No  ;  they  did  not  fully  believe ;  they 
were  not  expecting  him.  Do  we  look  for  his  promised 
appearing?  Are  we,  at  our  weekly  assemblages,  dis- 
appointed if  we  do  not  hear  his  kind  salutation  ? 

We  turn  to  the  first  prayer-meeting  after  Christ's 
ascension.  It  was  a  full  meeting;  all  the  apostles 
being  there,  as  well  as  Christian  women  of  Jerusalem, 
and  the  brethren  of  our  Lord  generally.  It  was  a  long- 
meeting,  a  ten  days'  prayer-meeting.  Christ  had  given 
the  command,  Go,  teach  all  nations ;  but  he  had  also 
bidden  them  wait  for  that  which  was  indispensable  to 

20* 


234  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

their  success  as  Christian  witnesses.  It  was  particu- 
larly desirable  that  they  should  learn  new  lessons  con- 
cerning the  power  of  prayer  and  perseverance  in  it; 
indeed,  that  they  should  begin  their  great  work  with 
the  conviction  deeply  inwrought,  that  there  is  nothing 
more  important  to  them  than  prayer.  It  was  not  im- 
probably in  the  same  room  where  the  sacramental 
supper  had  been  prepared,  and  where  Christ's  memo- 
rable discourse  with  them  was  held. 

Thus  opens  the  new  dispensation;  the -history  of 
the  Christian  church  commences  with  a  prayer-meet- 
ing. Prayer  is  not  more  truly  the  individual's  vital 
breath  than  prayer-meetings  are  the  church's  vital 
atmosphere.  There  are  two  elements  in  man  which 
need  to  be  consulted ;  two  necessities  growing  out  of 
his  nature  and  relations  ;  one  is  met  by  devout  medita- 
tion and  retirement,  the  other  by  devout  sym^pathy 
and  social  worship. 

As  a  direct  agency,  as  a  means  of  obtaining  that 
which  comes  from  above,  prayer  is  a  necessity  ;  and  it 
is  the  appointed  exercise  in  which  to  expect  great 
favors.  When  did  God  ever  bestow  upon  the  church 
any  signal  fovor,  without  preparing  the  way  for  it  by 
stirring  up  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  earnest  and  per-' 
severing  supplications  ?  The  first  chapter  of  ecclesi- 
astical history  shows  that  the  munificence  of  a  new 
order  of  things  was  to  come  in  connection  with  the 
most  remarkable  assemblage  for  prayer  ever  held. 
"These  all  continued  in  prayer  and  supplication"  from 
the  day  of  Christ's  ascension  to  the  day  of  pentecost ; 
and  what  the  chief  subject  of  petition  was,  hardly  ad- 
mits of  a  doubt.     In  bidding  the  apostles  not  depart 


SOCIAL     PRAYER.  235 

from  Jerusalem,  it  was  that  they  might  wait  till  the 
promise  of  the  Father  was  fulfilled,  their  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  They  had  heard  from  him  that  he 
would  pray  to  the  Father,  who  would  send  them 
another  Comforter,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  who 
should  teach  them  all  things.  Hence  the  meeting  and 
the  supplication.  During  Peter's  imprisonment,  "  prayer 
was  made  without  ceasing  of  the  Church  unto  God  for 
him."  Just  out  of  Philippi,  by  the  river's  side,  was  a 
place  where  believers  were  wont  to  meet. 

At  a  later  period,  as  we  learn  from  uninspired  his- 
tory, a  daily  service  in  the  church,  both  morning  and 
evening,  was  introduced.  By  or  before  daybreak,  they 
would  assemble  for  prayer  and  praise.  The  evening 
service,  which  also  continued  an  hour,  was  similar. 
^'  Nor  was  it  only  the  more  devout  and  zealous  of  them 
that  pursued  this  daily  routine  of  religious  observ- 
ances. The  place  of  worship  was  thronged  with  all 
ranks  of  the  faithful,  as  much  during  the  morning  and 
evening  service,  as  during  that  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
they  would  have  afforded  good  reason  to  suspect  the 
sincerity  of  their  religious  profession,  who  should  in 
those  days  of  Christian  simplicity  and  devotedness, 
have  confined  themselves  to  the  hebdomadal  ordinance 
of  the  sanctuary."  ^ 

What  is  a  church  prayer-meeting  ?  It  differs  from 
public  Sabbath  services.  The  design  of  the  latter  is 
for  a  congregation  promiscuously  to  worship  God, 
and  to  listen  to  the  exposition  and  enforcement  of 
his  Word.     Edification  by  means  of  Scripture  truth 

1  Coleman's  Antiquities. 


236  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

is  one  leading  object ;  the  ingathering  of  souls  by  the 
same  means  is  another. 

It  differs  from  a  sacramental  season.  The  design  of 
the  sacred  supper  is  expressly,  in  the  use  of  appointed 
symbols,  to  remember  Christ,  his  dying  love,  his  cov- 
enant righteousness,  and  the  cleansing  power  of  his 
blood. 

The  weekly  meeting  of  a  church  is  a  family  gather- 
ing,— the  coming  together  of  a  particular  household  of 
faith  in  the  name  of  Him  who  is  head  over  all  things 
to  the  church.  Fellowship  with  the  Elder  Brother 
should  evermore  be  sought,  a  new  appreciation  of  his 
love  to  us,  and  his  claims  upon  us.  Such  a  domestic 
Christian  assemblage  is  for  the  free  expression  and 
increase  of  fraternal  love,  and  of  a  common  faith,  com- 
fort, and  joy;  for  the  manifestation  and  culture  of 
family  feeling. 

Opportunity  is  thus  afforded  for  cultivating  Chris- 
tian acquaintance.  How  can  the  duties  of  fraternal 
fellowship  be  performed,  if,  as  is  sometimes  the  case, 
nothing  more  be  known  than  the  mere  names  of  some 
with  whom  they  stand  in  covenant  relation  ?  No  one 
should  complain  of  being  unknown  or  neglected  who 
neglects  this  privilege.  '^  Divide  and  conquer,"  is  Sa- 
tan's watchword ;  but  how  many  alienations  and  strifes 
have  been  prevented  or  healed  by  the  hallowed  influ- 
ence of  a  social  meeting  !  How  many  more  would  be 
if  none  were  delinquent  in  this  duty !  A  call  to  the 
mercy-seat  is  a  truce  to  contention. 

Diffidence  not  unfrequently  detains  persons  from 
the  place  of  prayer.  Unaccustomed  to  take  an  active 
part  in  devotional  exercises  in  the  presence  of  others, 


SOCIAL     PRAYER.  237 

except,  perhaps,  at  the  family  altar,  they  shrink  from 
the  thought,  and  rather  than  incur  the  exposure,  they 
remain  at  home.  ''  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called 
Didymus,  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came."  It 
may  be,  he  feared  he  should  be  called  upon  to  pray. 
How  much  did  he  lose  !  The  repeated  salutation  of 
the  risen  Saviour,  "  Peace  be  unto  you  ! ''  he  did  not 
hear;  that  early  communication  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
when  Christ  breathed  on  the  assembled  disciples,  he 
did  not  experience  ;  and  when,  after  eight  days,  the 
unbelieving  man  came  to  the  prayer-meeting,  he  re- 
ceived a  public  rebuke  from  his  crucified  Lord. 

Well  would  it  be  if  those  who  render  unsatisfactory 
excuses  for  absence  would  remember  certain  chapters 
in  the  history  of  primitive  prayer-meetings,  as  also  in 
more  recent  times.  The  Emperor  Diocletian,  who 
waged  the  tenth  general  persecution  against  the 
church,  would  gladly  have  broken  up  all  Christian 
meetings,  which,  indeed,  he  prohibited ;  while  he  or- 
dered places  of  worship  to  be  torn  down.  Fain  would 
the  PhiHstines  of  every  age  stop  the  wells  of  salvation 
and  cat  oflp  all  supplies  of  the  water  of  life. 

What  oppressive  acts  of  Parliament  were  passed 
under  the  reign  of  Charles  II. !  Without  the  verdict 
of  a  jury,  on  the  mere  oath  of  an  informer,  every  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  was  armed  with  the  power  of  fining 
and  imprisoning  Dissenters  who  should  persist  in 
the  exercise  of  this  most  obvious  religious  priv- 
ilege. The  scourge  thus  put  into  the  hands  of  per- 
sons comparatively  irresponsible  and  irreligious,  was 
wielded  unmercifully.  Houses  were  broken  open, 
meetings  broken  up,  goods  seized,  and  the  jails  filled 


238  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

with  some  of  the  most  conscientious  and  peaceable  cit- 
izens in  the  realm.  A  vile  race  of  informers  fattened 
upon  their  unrighteous  spoils,  while  the  utmost  dis- 
tress was  brought  upon  thousands  of  families  and  indi. 
viduals  because  they  feared  God  more  than  man.  How 
would  the  present  generation  of  their  descendants  in 
Old  England  and  New  England  stand  a  test  of  that 
kind?  What  would  be  the  effect  of  such  stringent 
measures  upon  the  attendance  at  meetings  for  prayer  ? 
There  is  a  promise  to  "  two  or  three/'  and  the  prom- 
ise is  as  good  for  two  as  for  two  hundred.  The  ancient 
rule  of  the  synagogue  was,  that  unless  ten  persons,  and 
they  persons  of  age,  were  present,  there  was  not  an 
assembly,  and  prayer  might  not  be  offered ;  but  our 
Lord  does  not  so  stint  the  privileges  of  his  people. 
Whoever  else  may  or  may  not  be  there,  we  have  the 
countenance  and  assistance  of  those  whose  presence  is 
of  far  more  moment  to  us,  —  God  the  Father,  God  the 
Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  Christ  has  prayed  the 
Father  in  our  behalf;  has  bespoken  his  regards  for  us. 
Especially  has  he  asked  the  Comforter,  "  even  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world  cannot  receive,  be- 
cause it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him ;  but  ye 
know  him,  for  he  dwelleth  with  you  and  shall  be  in 
you."  Each  of  the  adorable  Trinity  is  present,  and  in- 
finitely more  interested  in  the  gathering  than  church- 
members  are. 


SEASONS    OF    PRAYER. 


c/^^ 


I.     PRAYER   AMIDST   TRIALS. 


>HE  great  want  of  the  human  heart  is  a 
companion  who  may  safely  be  intrust- 
ed with  all  bosom  secrets.  Can  he  be 
found  ?  There  is  needed  some  one 
wise,  strong,  tender-hearted,  and  true ; 
one  alwaj^s  at  hand,  and  always  at  lib- 
erty; who  will  listen  and  aid  as  hus- 
band, wife,  brother,  sister,  neighbor 
cannot. 

It  was  a  vainglorious  boast  of  an  ancient  philoso- 
pher, Antisthenes,  when  asked  what  he  got  by  his 
learning.  That  he  could  talk  to  himself,  could  live 
alone,  and  did  not  need  to  go  abroad  and  be  beholden 
to  others  for  enjoyment.  We  do  need  to  go  out  of 
ourselves.  No  man  is  a  complement  to  himself.  An 
essential  property  must  be  taken  from  our  nature,  and 
numberless  occurrences  from  our  lives,  before  content- 
ment in  solitary  independence  is  achieved.  Give  me 
a  friend,  is  the  soul's  impassioned  demand ;  give  me 
some  one  to  whom  I  may  go  when  I  will,  and  tell  him 
all  I  please. 

We  have  personal  solicitudes,  we  have  domestic  and 
business  solicitudes.    How  much  do  we  need  the  coun- 

239 


240  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

sel  of  a  wise  friend,  then  !  There  is  One  whose  very 
name  is  Wonderful,  Counsellor.  He  will  have  compas- 
sion on  the  ignorant  and  on  them  that  are  out  of  the 
way.  He  knows  not  only  the  history  thus  far,  but  the 
issue  of  every  case.  He  sees  the  end  as  readily  as 
the  beginning.  Was  his  guiding  hand  or  word  ever  at 
fault  ?  Has  any  disciple  of  his  ever  had  occasion  to 
regret  liis  influence  in  a  matter  committed  to  him  ? 

My  earthly  master  may  be  skilful,  but  not  as  He ; 
my  father  and  mother  may  be  wise,  but  not  like  Him. 
He  only  can  look  over  the  whole  field  of  circumstances 
and  see  how  I  am  situated.  He  looks  through  my 
whole  life,  and  onward  through  the  eternity  of  my 
career  with  all  its  relations  and  results.  Who  else  is 
competent  to  give  advice  ? 

The  tenderest  love  characterized  him  when  on  earth, 
and  equally  characterizes  him  still.  He  is  no  more  now 
than  then  ashamed  to  call  his  disciples  brethren  ;  nor 
more  ashamed  to  call  those  on  earth  such  than  those 
in  heaven.  Is  his  eye  any  more  intently  on  the  Abra- 
hams, Isaiahs,  and  Johns,  around  the  throne,  than  upon 
ns  still  inhabiting  this  lower  world  ?  If  either  portion 
of  his  great  family  receives  special  attention,  it  is  that 
one  from  whose  eyes  the  tears  are  still  to  be  wiped 
away. 

We  would  go  to  him  in  bodily  sufferings.  He  has 
to  do  with  this  discipline,  has  a  purpose  in  it ;  one  that 
will  be  accomplished  only  in  a  submissive  recognition 
of  his  hand.  Will  anything  check  murmurs  or  impa- 
tience more  effectually  than  reverently  to  tell  Jesus 
the  whole  story  of  distress  ;  to  make  mention  of  his 
unsolaced  anguish  in  the  garden  and  on  the  cross  ? 


PRAYER     AMIDST     TRIALS.  241 

Let  the  blind  man  cry,  Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have 
mercy  on  me,  and  he  will  receive  sympathy,  at  least, 
if  not  relief.  One  who  had  been  for  thirty-seven  years 
as  gold  tried  in  the  fire,^  said,  "  I  experience  so  much 
of  the  Saviour's  love  in  supporting  me  under  pain,  that 
I  cannot  fear  its  increase." 

Are  we  persecuted  ?  He  has  pronounced  a  benedic- 
tion. Has  a  storm  arisen,  and  is  it  very  tempestuous? 
Go  to  that  wonderful  fellow-passenger  who  with  one 
word  can  quiet  the  elements,  and  quiet  your  hearts. 
Does  Satan  cast  us  into  prison  and  make  our  feet  fast 
in  the  stocks  ?  Our  Lord's  presence  will  cause  us  to 
sing  at  midnight.  When,  a  few  years  since,  the  Liqui- 
sition  at  Rome  was  opened,  these  words  were  found  on 
the  dungeon  walls,  where  some  unknown  martyr  had 
pined :  ^'  Blessed  Jesus,  they  may  separate  me  from 
thy  church,  but  they  cannot  separate  me  from  thee." 
The  Roman  Herod  anathematized  and  incarcerated 
him ;  but  he  went  and  told  Jesus,  and  was  com- 
forted. "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble."  How 
often  does  the  Psalmist  avail  himself  of  the  privilege ! 
Job  cried  thus  in  the  dust,  and  Jeremiah  in  the  dun- 
geon. They  were  heard.  So  was  Jonah  ;  and  so 
have  thousands  of  others  been  amidst  less  remark- 
able perils  in  the  deep.  The  universal  biography 
of  God's  children  is  only  a  record  of  trials,  prayers, 
and  deliverances.  Whoever  has  faith  to  ask,  and  an 
eye  to  see,  the  interposing  goodness  of  God,  shall  not 
want  for  occasions  of  grateful  acknowledgment.  Dur^ 
ing  a  period  of  less  than  two  years,  when  civil  war 
was  raging  in  France,  Beza  recorded  six  hundred  de- 

1  Harriet  Stpneman, 
21 


242  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

liverances  from  danger,  for  which  he  solemnly  gave 
thanks  in  his  last  testament. 

The  eighty-eighth  Psalm  stands  by  itself  in  one  re- 
spect, miique  and  impressive.  It  is  the  only  one  of 
the  whole  hundred  and  fifty  characterized  by  dejec- 
tion throughout.  In  all  the  others  joy  cither  pervades 
or  at  least  enlivens  the  strains  of  King  David  ;  but 
here  there  is  not  a  tone  of  cheerfulness  ;  not  one  ray 
of  light  pierces  the  gloom.  Yet,  thanks  that  the  psalm 
stands  where  it  does,  with  its  solitary  and  solemn  les- 
son. Who  has  not  seasons  for  the  eighty-eighth 
Psalm?  All  God's  waves  and  billows  sometimes  go 
over  us. 

There  is  another  feature  of  that  psalm  no  less  no- 
ticeable. »It  is  the  persistency  of  David's  prayers.  "I 
have  cried  day  and  night  before  thee."  He  never 
once  thinks  of  remitting  supplication.  So  should  it  be 
with  every  one  in  similar  seasons.  Trial  is  designed 
to  be  the  great  school  of  prayer.  Afflictions  of  what- 
ever form  fail  of  their  immediate  design  if  they  do  not 
awaken  special  earnestness  in  cries  to  God. 

The  way  to  heap  affliction  upon  affliction  is  to  mur- 
mur, and  do  nothing  but  weep,  instead  of  importuning 
the  Mercy-seat.  When  God  shivers  our  idols,  it  is  that 
he  may  become  enthroned  in  our  hearts.  He  takes 
away  unsatisfying  and  dangerous  comforts,  to  put  him- 
self fully  in  place  of  them.  The  question  is  not  how 
long  the  period  of  disciplinary  darkness  may  last,  but 
whether  the  soul  is  brought  more  closely  and  trust- 
fully to  the  footstool ;  whether  she  is  resorting  with 
new  confidence  to  the  great  storehouse  of  promises; 
whether  she  is  girding  on  the  whole  armor  of  God  in 


PRAYER     AMIDST     TRIALS.  243 

the  unswerving  purpose  to  fight  manfully  the  good 
fight  of  faith. 

Sufferings  do  not  sanctify  of  themselves.  They  be- 
come blessings  if  rightly  used.  Pain  and  reproaches 
are  hard  to  be  borne  ;  but  how  much  harder  is  it  to 
get  along  without  them.  Are  they  not  a  part  of 
Christ's  legacy ;  and  can  anything  unkind  come  from 
those  hands  that  were  nailed  to  the  cross  for  us  ?  Are 
not  we,  like  our  great  Captain,  to  be  made  perfect 
through  sufferings?  Ay,  and  yet  only  through  prayer. 
Come  wdiat  may,  cloud,  night,  storm,  let  us  pray.  Our 
rowing  will  of  itself  amount  to  but  little ;  we  would 
hasten  at  once  to  Him  who  commands  the  winds  and 
waves,  crying,  '-  Save,  Master,  or  we  perish  ! "  We 
w^ould  turn  every  care  into  prayer.  This  is  a  holy 
charm  to  drive  away  trouble. 

No  one  who  really  prays  can  be  wholly  wretched. 
The  poor,  distressed  believer  may  be  hardly  able  to 
keep  above  water  long  enough  for  a  single  breath, 
still  let  him  cry,  "  Lord,  help  me  !  "  It  would  seem  as 
if  there  was  not  much  real  earnestness  of  supplication 
except  under  the  pressure  of  God's  hand.  Isaiah  says 
of  the  children  of  Israel,  ^'  Lord,  in  trouble  have  they 
visited  thee  ;  they  poured  out  a  prayer  when  thy 
chastening  was  upon  them."  They  poured  out  their 
prayers ;  they  did  not  merely  say  them.  Jonah  could 
sleep  quietly  in  the  ship,  but  in  the  whale's  belly  he 
cried  to  God.  '^  I  have  no  dull  hours,"  said  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  celebrated  Baron  Cuvier,  as  she  lay  sinking 
with  true  Christian  cheerfulness  and  patience  in  a  de- 
cline, —  "I  have  no  dull  hours."  She  was  in  habitual 
communion  with  her  Lord. 


244  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

If,  in  present  circumstances,  there  is  nothing  besides 
tribulation,  the  Lord  himself  remains  an  unchanging 
occasion  for  rejoicing.  The  memory  of  his  past  mer- 
cies should  be  enough  to  make  us  praise  as  well  as 
pray.  Paul  and  Silas  had  prison-songs ;  their  prison 
was  a  paradise. 

True  believers  are  not  so  often  heard  lamenting 
what  they  have  endured  as  what  they  have  failed  to 
do.  Seasons  of  sanctified  suffering  are  often  the  most 
joyful  of  all  in  a  Christian's  remembrance.  The  great- 
est victory,  the  highest  and  purest  rapture  of  Faith,  is 
when  she  looks  out  upon  the  withered  vine  and  fig- 
tree,  the  failing  olive  and  fields  all  blasted ;  upon  the 
ashes  of  a  once  happy  dwelling,  and  the  graves  of  a 
whole  household,  and  then  with  a  strong,  clear  voice, 
sings  of  mercy  and  of  judgment.  A  little  girl  had 
been  taught  to  pray,  "  0  God,  bless  my  dear  mother ; 
bless  my  dear  father."'  The  father  was  taken  to  his 
rest.     She  kneeled  as  usual  and  prayed,  "  0  God,  bless 

my  dear  mother;  bless  my ,"  then  opened  her  eyes 

imploringly  to  know  what  she  should  do;  but  soon,  with 
a  trembling  voice,  added,  "  Oh,  mother,  I  cannot  leave 
him  all  out.  Let  me  say.  Thank  God  that  I  had  a  dear 
father  once,  so  I  can  still  go  on  and  keep  him  in  my 
prayers."  Do  not  the  most  beautiful  tints  in  our  firma- 
ment come  from  the  sun  that  has  set  ? 


PRAYER     UNDER     BEREAVEMENT.  245 


n.    PRAYER    UNDER    BEREA\T:]MENT. 

There  is  said  to  have  been  an  ancient  people  in 
Thrace,  who  were  accustomed  to  celebrate  the  birth 
of  any  one  with  tears,  and  a  funeral  with  rejoicings. 
They  may  have  been  a  very  weak  or  very  wise  peo- 
ple. In  their  rude  simplicity,  they  may  have  had  a 
deeper  philosophy  than  neighboring  and  more  polished 
nations. 

We  will  not  quarrel  with  the  exclamation  often 
heard,  What  a  beautiful  world  this  is  !  Considered 
with  respect  to  physical  adaptations,  it  is  beautiful  be- 
yond what  the  mere  sentimentalist  or  man  of  science 
has  yet  learned.  But  while  it  is  just  the  world  to 
live  in,  man,  in  his  present  moral  state,  is  not  just  the 
creature  to  live  in  it.  Spoiled  himself,  he  spoils  that. 
We  meet  too  many  whose  eyes  are  red  with  weeping; 
we  sit  down  beside  too  many  with  palpitating  hearts, 
and  we  see  too  many  passing  into  the  midst  of  deep 
waters,  or  over  the  Bridge  of  Sighs,  to  allow  of  our 
complimenting  it  very  highly. 

The  world  is  not  more  full  of  troubles  than  of  nos- 
trums. Is  any  afflicted  among  you  ?  It  will  soon  be 
over,  suggests  a  sympathizing  friend.  How  does  he 
know  that  ?  How  does  he  know  that  the  affliction  may 
not  weigh  for  many  a  month  upon  the  heart ;  that  the 
same  or  similar  griefs  may  not  be  repeated  ?  Days  of 
darkness  are  long.  Hours  freighted  with  sorrow  and 
anxiety  move  heavily.  One's  whole  life  in  review 
seems  not  so  long  as  many  a  brief  period  of  anguish 
does  in  passing. 

21* 


246  THE    MEECY-SEAT. 

Is  any  afflicted  among  you?  let  him  think  of  heaven, 
says  another.  Blessed  be  God  that  his  stricken  chil- 
dren may  think  of  heaven,  where  there  shall  be  no 
more  death.  Praise  to  the  kind  severity  of  Him  who 
makes  the  trial  of  our  faith  to  be  much  more  precious 
than  of  gold  that  perisheth.  There  is,  however,  the 
previous  point,  Am  I  an  heir  to  that  blessedness  ? 
How  shall  present  troubles  be  made  to  promote  prepa- 
ration for  that  better  world?  How  do  I  know  that 
they  are  not  earnests  of  inteiTainable  grief? 

Is  any  afflicted  among  you  ?  Let  liim  seek  amase- 
ment,  says  the  worldling.  Is  it,  then,  the  great  thing 
to  be  diverted  ?  Is  forgetfulness  the  sovereign  rem- 
edy for  mental  sufferings?  Try  that  anodjme.  Stu- 
pefy sensibility;  drive  away  grief;  hand  the  last  novel; 
bring  the  flowing  bowl ;  pass  along  the  dice  ;  let  the 
orchestra  sound  ;  let  not  the  image  of  your  buried 
friend  pass  the  threshold.  But  can  you  shut  out  your 
ovm  immortality  and  your  God  ? 

Is  any  afflicted  among  you?  let  him  bear  it  bravely, 
says  the  philosopher.  What  cannot  be  cured  must  be 
endured.  Be  courageous.  When  you  happen  to  be 
bereaved,  bear  up ;  do  not  yield  ;  breast  the  wave  ;  be 
a  man.  There,  my  philosophical  friend,  is  the  great 
difficulty,  to  be  a  man.  These  afflictions  unman  a  per- 
son, and  we  wish  to  know,  not  so  much  what  is  desir- 
able as  how  to  obtain  it;  how  shall  fortitude  and  calm- 
ness be  secured  ? 

The  Stoic,  that  stubborn,  sullen  disciple  of  fate,  tells 
us,  that  if  we  will  have  it  so  that  pain  is  an  evil,  if  we 
cannot  philosophize  ourselves  into  composure  amidst 


PEAYEE  UNDEE  BEEEAVEMENT.    247 

the  troubles  of  life,  we  may  ehd  what  we  cannot 
endure.^  Atrocious  insult  to  an  accountable  being ! 
The  ultimatum  of  foolhardy  wickedness  is  suicide. 

Is  any  among  you  afflicted?  Let  him  pray.  Such 
is  the  divine  prescription.  God  does  not  say  to  us, 
&eek  the  sympathy  of  your  fellow-men.  He  knows 
how  uncertain  that  is :  how  insufficient  for  the  higher 
necessities  and  ends  of  affliction.  Welcome  indeed  is 
sympathy.  Not  so  refreshing  to  parched  lips  is  the 
cup  of  cold  water  as  the  flow  of  tenderness  to  a  faint- 
ing spirit.  Many  a  fountain  of  that  kind  springs  up  in 
the  wilderness,  and  weary  pilgrims  are  reanimated. 
We  need,  however,  to  use  caution  in  asking  condo- 
lence from  earthly  sources.  The  distribution  of  trials 
is  not  so  unequal  as  to  authorize  any  one  to  bring  a 
claim  very  frequently  upon  another. 

God  never  grows  weary.  Repetition  does  not  offend 
him.  For  ages  have  his  children  been  offering  the 
same  supplications,  under  similar  afflictions,  over  and 
over  again,  yet  during  all  this  period  not  one  feeling 
of  aversion  on  that  account  has  arisen  in  the  divine 
mind.  Is  any  among  you  afflicted  ?  let  him  pray ;  let 
him  repeat  the  same  prayer,  time  and  again,  about  the 
same  affliction  ;  only  let  him  cry  unto  God. 

''  Casting  all  your  care  upon  him  ;  "  not  Ananias  and 
Sapphira-lil^e,  keeping  back  a  part,  but  casting  all  your 
care  upon  him.  "  He  careth  for  you ;  "  he  makes  no 
professions  for  efiect.     His  is  not  the  fluctuating  inter- 

1  "  If  thy  mind  be  melancholy  and  in  misery,  thou  mayest  put  a  period  to  this 
wretched  condition.  Wherever  thou  lookest,  there  is  an  end  to  it.  See  that 
precipice ;  there  thou  mayest  have  liberty.  Seest  thou  that  sea,  tliat  river,  that 
well  ?  Liberty  is  at  the  bottom  of  it.  That  little  tree  ?  Freedom  hangs  upon 
it.  Thy  own  neck,  thy  own  throat  may  be  a  refuge  to  thee  from  such  servitude ; 
yea,  any  vein  in  thy  body."  —  Seneca. 


248  THE     MEECY-SEAT. 

est  of  a  mortal,  nor  the  fruitless  sympathy  of  one  who 
can  only  feel  for  yon  ;  it  is  the  regard  of  unchanging 
benevolence  and  power.  What  cheerful  resignation 
then  should  we  feel.  "We  would  always  ask  less  for 
alleviation  than  for  sanctification ;  then  will  bereave- 
ments prove  disguised  blessings. 

The  greater  the  trial,  the  greater  the  need  of  prayer. 
It  should  operate  only  as  hydrostatic  pressure,  to  raise 
one  Jill  the  higher,  and  with  the  more  force.  When 
was  it  that  our  Lord,  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  offered 
up  prayers  and  supplications  with  such  strong  crying 
and  tears  as  under  that  dreadful  burden  in  the  garden 
and  on  the  cross  ? 

Christ,  who  from  the  first  had  Imown  what  was 
before  him,  who  with  a  full  understanding  of  the  fear- 
ful issue  had  cheerfully  given  himself  up  to  it,  prayed 
that  the  cup  might  pass  from  him ;  but  that  was  not 
all  his  prayer.  "  Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as 
thou  wilt."  Soon  as  the  child  was  dead,  David 
ceased  fasting  and  weeping,  and  said  to  his  surprised 
servants,  '^  While  the  child  was  yet  alive,  I  fasted  and 
wept,  for  I  said.  Who  can  tell  whether  God  will  be 
gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live  ?  "  His  crown- 
ing petition  doubtless  was,  '^  Thy  will  be  done  ! " 
Though  upon  its  decease  he  took  bread,  and  resumed 
his  cheerfulness,  we  do  not  read  that  he  gave  over 
praying. 

How  are  the  soul's  still  depths  stirred  when  death 
wrests  away  our  treasures!  To  look  at  the  wreck  that 
remains  after  the  spirit  has  once  departed, — to  see  only 
the  shattered  tenement  of  our  dear  one, — it  seems  as  if 
we  were  ourselves  rent  in  twain.    But  looking  through 


PRAYER  UNDER  BEREAVEMENT.    249 

our  tears,  we  descry  the  Master  at  Lazarus'  grave  ;  we 
hear  him  discourse  of  the  resurrection ;  and  our  minds 
are  filled  with  sublime,  living,  beautiful  images  of  the 
future  ;  our  grief  is  assuaged.  We  bury  the  body  of 
our  friend ;  we  go  and  tell  Jesus ;  and  find  that  he  has 
tears  to  shed  as  well  as  we.  Alas  that  mourners  spend 
no  more  time  in  rehearsing  their  trials  to  him,  and 
spend  so  much  in  detailing  them  to  neighbors. 


XI 


SUBJECTS    OF    PEAYER. 


I.    TEMPORAL   BLESSINGS. 

N  ancient  allegory  runs  thus:  There 
was  a  peasant  distinguished  for  piety, 
whom  Jupiter  wislied  to  reward.  Ac- 
cordingly he  promised  to  give  the 
man  whatever  he  should  ask.  He  re- 
quested control  of  the  weather  so  far 
as  concerned  his  own  estate.  The  re- 
quest being  granted,  he  at  once  set 
about  distributing  dew  and  rain,  snow 
and  sunshine,  upon  the  fields,  as  he  thought  the  soils 
and  seasons  required.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he 
looked  for  an  overflowing  harvest,  but  was  surprised 
to  find  the  crops  of  his  neighbors  far  more  abundant 
than  his  own.  Whereupon,  he  desired  Jupiter  to  re- 
sume the  control  of  the  weather,  lest  he  should  com- 
pletely ruin  himself 

The  moral  lies  on  the  surface.  If  God  were  not  so 
merciful  as  to  deny  many  of  our  requests,  we  should 
be  speedily  undone.  The  highest  wisdom  in  prayer  is 
to  desire  that  his  will  may  be  done. 

We  are,  however,  permitted  submissively  to  ask  for 
temporal  favors.  The  propriety  of  such  prayer  is 
found  in  the  fact  of  God's  universal  and  particular 

250 


TEMPORAL     BLESSINGS.  251 

providence.  The  Scriptures  teach  its  that  his  preserv- 
ing and  superintending  agency  is  unlimited  and  unin- 
terrupted. Thoy  teach  that  his  oversight  is,  to  the 
farthest  degree,  individual,  extending  to  every  partic- 
ular sparrow,  and  to  every  hair  of  the  head ;  that 
whatever  general  laws  of  procedure  he  has  estab- 
lislied,  he  presides  over  each  event  occurring  con- 
formably to  those  laws ;  and  that  this  particularity  and 
constancy  of  control  pertain  no  less  to  the  material  and 
ii^rational  world  than  to  the  spiritual  and  rational. 

No  metaphysical  difficulties  arise  with  regard  to 
prayer  for  temporal  blessings  which  do  not  hold 
equally  against  the  efficacy  of  pra3^er  in  general.  The 
God  of  creation,  providence,  grace,  and  Scripture,  be- 
ing one  and  the  same,  we  need  have  no  embarrassment 
in  reposing  implicit  confidence  in  the  commands  and 
encouragements  wdiich  he  sets  before  us.  When, 
therefore,  we  read,  ^'  In  everything,  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be 
made  known  unto  God;"  and,  when  v\^e  find  author- 
ized examples  of  such  supplication,  we  cannot  hesitate 
to  pray  for  food,  for  health,  and  similar  favors. 

God  would  have  the  impression  of  dependence  to 
be  as  constant  as  our  temporal  necessities.  "  Give  us 
day  by  day  our  daily  bread ; "  we  know  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth ;  our  wants  may  terminate  with 
present  supplies.  "Give  me  good  speed  this  day;" 
changes  often  occur  suddenly.  The  same  day  saw 
Job  the  richest  and  the  poorest  of  all  the  men  of  the 
East.  Present  good  speed  and  abundance,  when  they 
exist,  are  of  uncertain  continuance  ;  but  the  wants  of 
to-morrow  need  not  be  met  to-day.     The  business  of 


252  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

supplication  and  thanksgiving  can  no  more  be  done  up 
at  one  time  for  a  month  or  a  year,  than  respiration  for 
the  same  period  can  be  performed  at  one  time.  It  is 
for  the  serpent,  and  not  for  man,  to  gorge  himself,  and 
then  lie  torpid. 

Is  it  said  that  the  prayerless  prosper  ?  An  outward, 
transient  prosperity  they  do  often  enjoy.  "  I  have 
seen  the  wicked  in  great  power,  and  spreading  him- 
self Hke  a  green  bay-tree."  But  what  is  prosperity? 
Is  it  thrift  in  trade,  in  agriculture  ?  Is  it  promotion 
in  civil  or  military  life  ?  What  is  plenty  ?  a  full  barn  ? 
God's  blessing  only  makes  success  anything  better 
than  disaster  ;  makes  wealth  anything  but  gilded  pov- 
erty. Take  away  that  blessing,  and  food  becomes  a 
slow  poison,  promotion  the  precursor  of  a  fall.  Just  as 
the  victims  destined  for  sacrifice  were  crowned  with 
garlands,  so  now  the  tokens  of  mere  worldly  prosperity 
are  the  badges  of  approaching  destruction.  Nothing 
but  an  habitually  devout  and  grateful  acknowledgment 
of  dependence  will  avert  an  ultimate  curse  from  all 
the  good  things  of  this  life.  "  If  ye  will  not  hear,"  so 
witnesses  Malachi,  "  and  if  ye  will  not  lay  it  to  heart, 
to  give  glory  unto  my  name,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  I 
will  even  send  a  curse  upon  you,  and  I  will  curse  your 
blessings." 

Have  we  no  necessities  beyond  those  that  are  phys- 
ical and  social  ?  Are  there  no  mansions  but  those  we 
now  inhabit ;  no  manna  but  such  as  we  gather  with 
our  hands  ;  no  kingdom  but  what  is  of  this  world  ?  Is 
there  no  prosperity  save  that  which  the  ledger  or  the 
census  may  indicate  ?  Louis  IX.,  when  the  attending 
priest  had  prayed  for  his  health,  and  was  beginning  to 


TEMPORAL     BLESSINGS.  253 

implore  Heaven  for  his  future  welfare,  cried  out,  "Hold, 
hold  !  you  have  gone  far  enough  for  once.  Never  be 
tiresome  in  your  address  to  Almighty  God.  Stop  now, 
and  pray  for  my  soul  another  time."  How  frankly  ex- 
pressive of  what  many  would  seem  silently  to  think  ! 
Let  the  good  Lord  give  health  and  wealth ;  let  the 
Almighty  Steward  fill  our  barns,  and  then  he  may  go 
his  way  for  the  present !  Oh  the  blasphemy  of  worldli- 
ness,  the  atheism  of  selfishness  ! 

Here  is  the  prayer  of  a  miser,^  found  in  his  own 
handwriting :  ^''  0  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  have  nine 
estates  in  the  city  of  London,  and  likewise  that  I  have 
lately  purchased  an  estate  in  fee-simple  in  the  county 
of  Essex.^  I  beseech  thee  to  preserve  the  two  counties 
of  Middlesex  and  Essex  from  fire  and  earthquake ;  and, 
as  I  have  a  mortgage  in  Hertfordshire,  I  beg  of  thee 
to  have  an  eye  of  compassion  on  that  county ;  and  for 
the  rest  of  the  counties  thou  mayest  deal  with  them  as 
thou  art  pleased.  0  Lord,  enable  the  banks  to  answer 
all  their  bills,  and  make  my  debtors  good  men.  Give 
a  prosperous  voyage  to  the  Mermaid  sloop  because  I 
have  insured  it.  Keep  my  friends  from  sinking,  and 
preserve  me  from  thieves  and  house-breakers ;  and 
make  all  my  servants  so  honest  and  faithful  that  they 
may  attend  to  my  interests,  and  never  cheat  me  out  of 
my  property  night  or  day." 

The  prayerless  laborer,  whatever  his  business,  in- 
vites a  frown,  and  though  his  cup  may  overflow,  he 
will  find  it  dashed  with  bitterness.  Beautiful  was  the 
practice  among  the  early  Christians  to  intermingle 
prayer  with  their  most  common  pursuits,  invoking  the 

1  John  Ward,  of  Hackney,  England. 
22 


254  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

favor  of  God  upon  tlieir  plowing,  sowing,  and  harvest- 
ing, and  upon  every-day  household  affairs.  Whoever 
uniformly  and  devoutly  says,  "•  Let  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord  our  God  be  upon  us,  and  establish  thou  the  Avork 
of  our  hands  upon  us  ;  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands 
establish  thou  it,"  finds  the  benediction  in  return  run- 
ning thus:  "Blessed  shalt  thou  be  in  the  city,  and 
blessed  shalt  thou  be  in  the  field;  blessed  shall  be  thy 
basket  and  thy  store ;  blessed  shalt  thou  be  when  thou 
comest  in,  and  blessed  shalt  thou  be  when  thou  goest 
out.  The  Lord  shall  command  the  blessing  upon  thee 
in  thy  storehouse,  and  in  all  that  thou  settest  thine 
hand  unto." 

Tiie  acknowledgment  of  dependence  is  not  to  be 
limited  to  the  particular  of  daily  food  ;  but  includes, 
also,  strength  to  labor,  and  that  multitude  of  other 
circumstances  which,  under  the  divine  blessing,  are 
essential  to  success  in  our  pursuits.  Moses  enjoined 
upon  Israel,  '^  Thou  shalt  remember  the  Lord  thy  God, 
for  it  is  he  that  giveth  thee  power  to  get  wealth."  It 
is  often  said  of  one  that  he  lives  by  his  trade  ;  of 
another  that  he  lives  by  his  pen ;  of  another  that  he 
lives  on  the  interest  of  his  money ;  but  in  every  case 
there  are  one  or  more  points  of  immediate  dependence 
upon  God.  We  hear  some  pronounced  indej)endent, 
but  are  they  such,  really?  Are  not  all  equally  pen- 
sioners upon  the  bounty  of  Heaven,  though  that  bounty 
flows  in  different  channels  and  different  measures  ? 

The  continuance  of  wealth,  not  less  than  its  acquisi- 
tion, is  due  to  divine  favor,  and  still  more  is  the  power 
to  enjoy  it  something  that  comes  daily  and  directly 
from  God.     Ecclesiastes  taught  this  long  ago:  "Every 


TEMPORAL     BLESSINGS.  255 

man,  also,  to  whom  God  hath  given  riches  and  wealth, 
and  hath  given  him  power  to  eat  thereof  and  to  take 
his  portion,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  labor,  this  is  the 
gift  of  God."  Every  Croesus  is  poor  to  a  proverb  if 
the  blessing  of  Heaven  be  not  upon  him.  Without 
that,  our  bread  becomes  husks  that  the  swine  do  eat. 
Every  bag  of  unsanctified  gold  is  a  monument  of  athe- 
ism. It  is  ill-gotten,  and  will  not  prosper.  The  thun- 
derbolt will  scatter  it.  No  chests  are  secure  against 
the  fire  of  God's  displeasure.  Prayer,  only,  deposits 
treasures  safely  in  heaven. 

Shall  not  domestic  blessings  be  sought?  The  family 
constitution  is  an  appointment  of  God,  and  no  earthly 
relation  is  regarded  by  him  as  more  sacred  than  that 
of  husband  and  wife.  A  preparatory  school  of  the 
church,  a  nursery  of  heaven,  is  found  there.  Domestic 
bliss  is  the  most  perfect  relic  of  paradise.  He  who 
instituted  this  ordinance  is  jealous  of  its  sanctity,  and 
the  selfishness  or  passion  which  violates  it  is  doubly 
offensive  to  him.  But  how  shall  peace,  order,  and 
comfort,  be  maintained  ?  How  shall  the  nameless  and 
numberless  occasions  of  discord  be  met  ?  How  shall 
sickness,  bereavement,  and  the  manifold  embarrass- 
ments to  which  they  give  rise,  as  well  as  countless 
other  forms  of  domestic  trial,  be  patiently  endured? 
Only  by  a  devout  maintenance  of  the  domestic  altar, 
and  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  those  many  house- 
hold mercies  which  are  intermingled  largely  with  the 
disciplinary  dealings. 

Ehezer  had  been  charged  by  his  master  with  the  im- 
portant errand  of  securing  a  proper  companion  in  life 
for  Isaac.     "  And  he  said,  0  Lord  God  of  my  master 


256  THE    MERCT-SEAT. 

Abraham,  I  pray  thee  send  me  good  success  this  day ; 
and  show  kindness  nnto  my  master  Abraham."  It  in- 
dicates the  firmest  faith  in  God's  particular  providence, 
and  his  covenant  regard  for  the  patriarch.  Through 
the  whole  transaction  there  appears  just  such  a  spirit 
as  should  pervade  every  similar  event,  the  only  spirit 
which  gives  rational  promise  of  a  blessing  upon  the 
conjugal  state.  Matches  are  indeed  made  in  heaven; 
yet  often  for  the  mutual  and  merited  chastisement  of 
parties  concerned.  What  but  disaster  can  reasonably 
be  expected  from  unions  entered  into,  as  many  are, 
with  no  regard  to  the  God  of  Abraham? 


II.     MENTAL    AID. 

The  recognition  of  intellectual  dependence  upon 
God  is  so  rare  in  treatises  on  moral  science  and  educa- 
tion, and  is  so  unusual  in  social  devotions,  as  to  indicate 
a  widely  existing  skepticism.  How  few  in  the  whole 
circle  of  living  educators  are  heard  recommending, 
and  how  few  in  the  process  of  education,  or  in  the 
midst  of  active  life,  are  heard  to  offer,  prayer  for  well- 
balanced  minds,  for  skill  and  energy  in  the  use  of  all 
their  faculties  ! 

If  the  instincts  of  irrational  creatures  are  subject  to 
the  control  of  a  watchful  Providence,  so  that  the  "  ant, 
having  no  guide,  overseer,  or  ruler,  provideth  her 
meat  in  the  summer,'- — an  example  to  the  human  slug- 
gard, —  and  '^  the  stork  in  the  heaven  knoweth  her  ap- 
pointed times,"  shall  not  God  regard  and  influence  the 
operations  of  rational   minds?    If  he  teach  David's 


MEXTAL     AID.  257 

hands  to  war  and  his  fingers  to  fight ;  if  he  impart  skill, 
and  pledge  the  most  exact  superintendence  to  the 
builders  of  the  tabernacle  and  the  temple,  shall  we 
suppose  that  he  withdraws  from  the  mental  mechanism 
and  movements  of  man  generally  ?  "  All  my  springs 
are  in  thee."  His  upholding  power  is  no  less  indis- 
pensable to  the  human  intellect  than  to  the  body  and 
to  the  framework  of  nature ;  and  his  superintending 
agency  no  less  intimate  in  the  operations  of  the  men- 
tal than  of  the  material  world.  Consistently  with  the 
laws  established  by  him  in  the  two  respectively,  he 
presides  and  interposes  as  he  will ;  and  if  there  is  pro- 
priety in  asking  a  blessing  upon  the  one,  there  is  upon 
the  other.  It  is  anything  but  unphilosophical  or  un- 
scriptural  to  believe  that  in  ways  inscrutable  to  us, 
a  special  divine  influence  may  mould  and  modify  a 
man's  inner  constitution  and  habits,  may  determine 
which  of  multitudinous  flitting  conceptions  and  impres- 
sions shall  become  permanent  and  influential ;  and  so, 
without  anything  distinguishable  from  exercises  of 
perfect  spontaneity,  may  further  the  whole  process  of 
mental  culture,  the  formation  of  right  habits,  and  the 
retention  of  best  thoughts.  If,  then,  to  pray  with- 
out study  is  enthusiasm,  to  study  without  prayer  is 
atheism. 

Happy  would  it  be  if  the  familiar  maxim  of  Luther, 
To  pray  well  is  to  study  well,  were  a  universal  favorite 
among  scholars.  With  some  of  the  master  minds  for 
subtilty  and  comprehensiveness,  this  has  been  an 
acknowledged  principle.  Happy  would  it  be  if  all 
the  learned  and  acute  of  later  times  would  kneel  with 
Thomas   Aquinas,  and  join   in   his  customary  prayer 

22* 


258  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

before  study :  "  Ineffably  wise  and  good  Creator,  illiis- 
trions  Original,  true  fountain  of  light  and  wisdom, 
vouchsafe  to  infuse  into  my  understanding  some  ray 
of  thy  brightness,  thereby  removing  that  twofold  dark- 
ness under  which  I  was  born,  of  sin  and  ignorance. 
Thou  that  makest  the  tongues  of  infants  eloquent,  in^ 
struct,  I  pray  thee,  my  tongue  likewise;  and  pour  upon 
my  lips  the  grace  of  thy  benediction.  Give  mc  quick- 
ness to  comprehend  and  memory  to  retain ;  give  me 
happiness  in  expounding  and  a  facility  in  learning,  and 
copious  eloquence  in  speaking.  Prepare  my  entrance 
on  the  road  of  science,  direct  me  in  my  journey,  and 
bring  me  safely  to  the  end  of  it,  even  happiness  and 
glory,  in  thine  eternal  kingdom,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  Amen.''  From  what  aberrations  and  mis- 
chiefs would  many  a  speculative  mind  and  the  world 
at  large  have  been  saved,  had  modern  philosophers 
striven  as  earnestly  to  master  the  student's  and 
author's  prayers  of  Lord  Bacon,  as  his  Novum  Or- 
ganon  1 

How  desirable  is  it  that  every  public  speaker  sholild 
cherish  a  sense  of  intellectual  dependence  !  To  those 
who  are  called  upon  in  debate,  deliberation,  or  exhor- 
tation, to  address  others  extemporaneously,  divine  aid 
is  particularly  needful.  Then  is  there  special  liabilit}^  to 
rash,  heated,  inappropriate  remarks.  Then  eminently 
is  the  balancing  and  enlightening  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  important.  Hence,  before  the  lips  are 
opened,  let  God  be  supplicated  by  the  speaker,  that 
"  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  may  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel 
and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of 
the  Lord." 


MENTAL     AID.  •         259 

In  the  Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines,  the  young- 
est member  was  George  Gillespie.  On  one  occasion, 
when  both  the  Assembly  and  Parliament  were  con- 
vened, a  long-premeditated  discourse  was  delivered  in 
favor  of  Erastianism.  Gillespie,  being  urged  by  his 
colleagues  to  answer  it,  repeated  the  substance  of  the 
whole  discourse,  and  refuted  it  to  the  admiration  of  all 
present.  It  however  excited  special  admiration  that, 
although  the  members  were  accustomed  to  take  notes 
of  what  was  spoken,  to  help  their  memory,  and  though 
Gillespie  appeared  to  be  busy  with  his  pencil,  he  wrote 
down  not  a  word  of  the  speech,  —  so  a  person  who  sat 
by  him,  on  casting  an  eye  over  his  note-book,  discov- 
ered, —  but  only  short  prayers,  such  as  '^  Lord  send 
light;  give  assistance;  Lord,  defend  thine  own  cause!" 

While  as  a  man  the  Christian  minister  stands  upon 
parity  of  need  in  this  respect  with  others,  in  one  view 
his  case  is  peculiar.  In  no  other  calling  is  there  rea- 
sonably demanded  so  much  of  careful  and  wisely 
directed  self  culture,  such  painstaking  to  bring  all  the 
faculties  under  military  discipline,  and  to  hold  them 
well  appointed  and  ever  ready  for  concentrated  move- 
ments. If  there  is  any  one  on  whom  rests  a  religious 
obligation  to  make  the  nriost  of  his  talents,  to  carry  his 
improvements  to  the  highest  possible  degree,  it  is  the 
one  who  has  constant  official  occasion  to  discourse 
upon  the  character  and  government  of  God,  the  extent 
and  penalty  of  his  law,  the  person  and  mediation  of 
his  Son,  with  a  view  to  save  souls.  Only  through 
prayer  will  he  receive  the  requisite  incitement  and 
guidance.  No  other  resort  will  so  arouse  and  impel 
the  mind,  supplying  a  healthful  stimulus  to  the  intel- 


260  THE     MERGY-SEAT. 

lectual  powers,  and  inducing  a  graceful  and  effective 
development  of  the  whole  inner  man.  "  Since  I 
began,"  says  Payson,  "  to  beg  God's  blessing  on  my 
studies,  I  have  done  more  in  one  week,  than  1  have 
done  in  a  whole  year  before."  It  will  always  be  found 
that,  other  things  equal,  the  one  who  carries  the  best 
devotional  habit  to  his  books,  grows  intellectually  rich 
the  fastest;  that  imagination  makes  the  loftiest  and 
best  sustained  flights ;  and  that  the  whole  mind,  when 
soaring  toward  heaven,  takes  fire  like  Acestes'  arrow, 
from  its  proximity  to  the  great  source  of  heat  and 
light.  John  Milton  found  that  when  he  prayed  most 
he  wrote  best. 

This,  too,  brings  recuperative  influence  to  the  mind 
when  overworked  and  jaded.  It  rests  and  invigorates, 
supphes  wholesome  aliment  and  exercise,  air  and  light. 
Who  that  has  tried  the  same  experiment  as  the  cele- 
brated Hayden  has  not  found  hke  results,  that  the  best 
means  for  restoring  mental  energies,  when  exhausted 
by  long  study,  is  retirement  to  the  closet;  that  nothing 
exerts  so  happy  an  influence  on  the  mind ;  that  it 
induces  the  most  benign  repose,  and  reinfuses  the  most 
healthful  vigor? 

Of  Vincent  Ferrer,  a  devoted  missionary  and  power- 
ful preacher  of  the  fourteenth  century,  it  is  said.  His 
heart  was  always  fixed  on  God,  and  he  made  his 
studies  and  labor  a  continued  prayer.  In  his  Treatise 
on  Spiritual  Life,  he  writes  thus :  "  Do  you  desire  to 
study  to  advantage  ?  Let  devotion  accompany  all 
your  studies.  Consult  God  more  than  your  books,  and 
ask  him  with  humihty  to  make  you  understand  what 
you  read.      Study  fatigues  and  drains  the  mind  and 


MENTAL     AID.  261 

heart.  Go,  refresh  them  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Inter- 
rupt your  appHcation  by  short  but  fervent  ejaculatory 
prayers.  Never  begin  or  end  your  study  but  by 
prayer.  Science  is  the  gift  of  the  Father  of  lights ; 
therefore,  do  not  consider  it  merely  as  a  work  of  your 
own  mind  or  industry." 

Along  with  devout  requests  for  guidance  in  the 
choice  of  subjects  and  method  of  investigation,  as  well 
as  for  a  blessing  immediately  upon  the  mental  facul- 
ties themselves,  there  should  be  much  of  grateful 
acknowledgment  to  the  Father  of  spirits.  Thanks 
are  due  to  God  for  every  good  thought,  and  for  all 
continued  and  increased  ability  to  use  these  gifts  of 
heaven.  Shall  a  heathen  philosopher  upon  the  solu- 
tion of  a  mathematical  problem  offer  a  hecatomb  to 
the  gods,  and  shall  Christian  students  be  less  conscious 
of  their  intellectual  dependence,  less  observant  of 
intimations  in  their  mental  experience  for  praise  to 
Him  who  has  breathed  into  them  the  breath  of  life, 
and  from  whom  cometh  every  good  and  perfect  gift? 
If  the  husbandman,  whose  labors  are  crowned  with 
success,  owes  a  day  of  annual  thanksgiving,  how  much 
more  the  man  of  intellectual  thrift !  Was  Reginald 
Heber  ever  occupied  more  appropriately  than,  after 
the  delivery  of  his  Palestine,  blessing  God  on  his 
knees,  Avho  had  enabled  him  to  write  such  a  perform- 
ance, a  poem  that  won  the  prize  and  applause  of 
Oxford?  Thanksgiving  hours  and  thanksgiving  days 
should  come  oftener  than  annually  for  the  harvest- 
home  in  a  successful  student's  husbandry. 

These  general  considerations  have  special  perti- 
nency to  the  minister  as  a  student  of  the  Word.     The 


262  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Bible  is  his  text-book,  his  Primary  Header  and  Ency- 
clopedia. Success  in  the  ministry  will  depend  largely 
upon  the  extent  and  character  of  his  acquaintance 
with  the  Holy  Volume.  He  is  presumed  to  be  a  man 
taught  of  God,  —  one  whose  eyes  have  been  opened  to 
behold  wondrous  things  out  of  God's  law.  Otherwise, 
no  amount  of  learned  apparatus  and  of  patient  investi- 
gation can  bring  him  to  the  requisite  acquaintance 
with  Holy  Writ.  However  eminent  as  a  critic,  he  will 
be  only  an  accomplished  Athenian,  unable  to  compre- 
hend Paul  when  he  preaches  '^  Jesus  and  the  resurrec- 
tion ; "  he  will  be  only  a  Saul  of  Tarsus,  conversant 
indeed  with  the  Scriptures,  yet  really  ignorant  of 
them. 

Assuming  that  the  veil  has  been  taken  from  his 
heart,  that  the  special  illumination  needed  alike  by 
all  is  enjoyed  by  him,  the  minister  of  the  Word  needs 
more.  As  one  required  to  be  a  deeper  student  of  the 
Bible,  one  studying  Avith  a  view  to  public  and  most 
responsible  teaching  from  the  same,  he  needs  such  a 
grasp  of  its  doctrines,  and  such  familiarity  with  its 
whole  scope  and  spirit,  as  can  be  had  only  by  habitual 
and  free  converse  with  its  Author.  Provision  has  been 
made  for  this.  Not  only  was  there  a  promise  to  the 
apostles  that  the  Comforter  should  guide  them  into  all 
truth,  but  that  the  same  blessed  agent  should  abide 
with  them  as  ministers  of  the  Word,  and  with  their  suc- 
cessors forever.  This  particularity  of  promise  may  well 
stimulate  the  preacher  in  studying  the  Bible.  In  the 
midst  of  his  library,  by  the  side  of  his  table,  he  may 
have  the  Author  of  that  volume  for  its  interpreter.  In 
all  freedom  may  he  propose  inquiries  and  seek  aid. 


MENTAL     AID.  263 

The  lively  oracles  themselves  furnish  authority  to  ask 
what  no  commentator  or  living  teacher  can  give,  —  an 
enlarged  and  rightly-guided  capacity  for  apprehending 
sacred  truths :  ''  Thy  hands  have  made  me  and  fash- 
ioned me  ;  give  me  understanding  that  I  may  learn 
thy  commandments  ; "  while  they  also  supply  many  an 
appropriate  form  of  ejaculatory  request  for  instruction 
from  on  high  :  ^^  Teach  me  thy  statutes  ;  "  "  Teach  me 
good  judgment  and  knowledge ; "  ^^  Lead  me  in  thy 
truth,  and  teach  me  ;  for  thou  art  the  God  of  my  sal- 
vation ;  on  thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day." 

Nothing  sooner  calls  forth  the  love  of  the  Spirit  than 
a  reverent  study  of  his  own  infallible  words  ;  and  it  is 
his  delight  to  make  docile  minds  acquainted  with  the 
things  of  the  Spirit ;  but  for  admission  to  his  sacred 
seminary  and  system  of  hermeneutics,  respectful  and 
earnest  application  must  be  made.  Has  it  not  been 
amidst  devout  weeping  that  a  sealed  book  or  a  sealed 
passage  has  been  opened  to  many  a  one  besides  the 
apostle  on  Patmos  ?  Was  not  Zwingle  answered  when 
he  looked  to  heaven,  desiring  no  teacher  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  ?  Does  not  Luther  testify  that  in  a  short  period 
of  time  with  prayer  he  profited  more  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures than  by  mere  study  for  a  much  longer  space  ? 
With  great  satisfaction  do  we  listen  to  William  Ro- 
maine,  when  speaking  of  the  Bible  :  '^  I  study  to  know 
it,  not  as  a  metaphysician,  but  as  a  Christian.  I  seek 
not  so  much  to  comprehend  it  as  to  believe  it.  Noth- 
ing appears  to  me  more  reasonable  than  that  my  reason 
should  submit  to  God's  reason;  and  therefore  I  am  kept 
praying  for  divine  grace,  to  make  his  Avord,  like  the 
light  of  the  sun,  clear  in  my  head,  and  fruitful  in  my 


264  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

heart.'^  With  much  satisfaction  do  we  listen  to  John 
Wesley,  in  his  devotions :  "  I  sit  down  alone  ;  only 
God  is  here.  In  his  presence,  I  open,  I  read  his  book 
for  this  end,  —  to  find  the  way  to  heaven.  Is  there  a 
doubt  concerning  the  meaning  of  what  I  read?  Does 
anything  apjDear  dark  or  intricate  ?  I  lift  my  heart  to 
the  Father  of  lights:  Lord,  is  it  not  thy  Word?  ^If 
any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God.'  Thou 
^  givest  liberally  and  upbraidest  not.'  "  His  compeer, 
the  prince  of  English  preachers,  gives  us  a  valuable 
secret  of  his  own  acquaintance  with  the  Word,  and  his 
success  in  proclaiming  it :  "  My  mind  being  now  more 
enlarged,  I  began  to  read  the  Holy  Scriptures  upon 
my  knees,  laying  aside  all  other  books,  and  praying 
over,  if  possible,  every  line  and  word.  This  proved 
meat  indeed,  and  drink  indeed,  to  my  soul.  I  daily 
received  fresh  life,  light,  and  powei',  from  above.  I 
got  more  true  knowledge  from  reading  the  Book  of 
God  in  one  month  than  I  could  ever  have  acquired 
from  all  the  writings  of  men." 

The  student  who  desires  thus  to  yield  himself  up 
to  superior  guidance,  who  inquires,  "  How  can  I  under- 
stand except  some  man  should  guide  me  ?  "  will  find 
help  supplied,  and  along  with  human  helps,  a  divine 
illumination  that  shall  send  him  on  his  way  rejoicing. 
The  linguist  may  go  to  the  Bible  for  philological  re- 
search, and  the  man  of  taste  for  aesthetic  recreation, 
but  the  devout  scholar  goes  to  hear  what  God  the 
Lord  will  say,  and  he  gains  an  inward  testimony,  an 
unction  from  the  Holy  One  most  refreshing  and  satis- 
fying. Whether  a  profound  critic  or  not,  whether  he 
understands  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge  or  not,  he 


MENTAL     AID.  265 

knows  whom  he  has  believed.  Will  such  a  man  "  han- 
dle the  Word  of  God  deceitfully,"  vaguely,  or  feebly? 

Even  the  more  critical  departments  of  study,  the 
use  of  rudimental  aids,  and  a  resort  to  ultimate  helps, 
are  by  no  means  outside  of  the  appropriate  range  of 
prayer.  Do  we  pronounce  it  a  commendable  habit  on 
the  part  of  an  eminent  man  of  science  in  one  of  our 
colleges,  now  deceased,  that  he  never  commenced  his 
mathematical  and  other  iuvestigations  without  implor- 
ing divine  aid ;  and  shall  we  not  deem  it  an  equally 
fitting  custom  maintained  by  one  of  the  most  diligent 
students  of  God^s  word  the  last  century,  as  narrated 
by  himself:  "  I  spread  the  Hebrew  Bible  before  God, 
and  cry  to  the  Father  that,  for  the  sake  of  his  Son,  he 
would  by  the  Spirit  shine  on  it,  would  give  me  light, 
and  discover  his  mind  in  the  Word  ;  that  he  would 
give  me  life,  health,  strength,  time,  and  inclination,  to 
the  study,  and  a  blessing  thereon"? 

While  an  undevout  man  Avill  prove  a  poor  scholar 
and  a  worse  teacher,  the  praying  student  will  find  him- 
self ''  enriched  in  all  utterance  and  all  knowledge." 
Keeping  the  heart  as  hard  at  work  as  the  brain,  his 
soul  comes  to  be  all  aglow.  His  thoughts  ascending 
to  Heaven  in  prayer,  divine  thoughts  descend  to  him 
in  the  Word  by  the  Spirit,  and  he  discovers  not  only 
the  mind,  but  the  very  heart,  of  God.  Prayer  takes 
one  to  the  home  of  all  subhme  truths  and  hallowed  in- 
fluences ;  it  takes  the  student  of  the  Bible  to  the  Holy 
Land,  the  better  country  of  the  palm  and  the  olive,  of 
Tabor  and  of  Zion.  In  thy  light,  the  shekinah  that 
beams  full  and  clear  at  the  mercy-seat,  do  we  see 
light. 

23 


266  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 


m.    THE   HOLY    SPIRIT. 

How  little  of  correspondence  is  there  between  the 
assurances  of  God  and  the  expectations  of  man  !  The 
leading  plans  of  society  and  of  individuals  would  seem 
to  proceed  upon  the  assumption  that  what  has  been 
promised  will  not  be  fulfilled,  and  that  effort  and  admi- 
ration are  to  be  given  to  things  not  foretold. 

It  was  never  a  subject  of  prediction,  nor  is  it  com- 
paratively one  for  exultation,  that  in  the  last  times 
surprising  discoveries  should  be  made ;  that  unprece- 
dented movements  in  science  and  the  arts  should  take 
place.  Holy  men  of  old  said  nothing  of  the  recent  tri- 
umphs of  astronomy,  or  in  regard  to  methods  of  rapid 
locomotion  and  intercommunication.  The  Holy  Ghost 
gave  no  hints  touching  improvements  in  the  heahng 
art,  or  in  the  implements  and  tactics  of  war.  God  did 
not  deem  the  matter  one  of  sufficient  importance  to 
give  it  a  place  in  prophecy,  that  geology  would  one 
day  turn  the  leaves  of  so  vast  a  volume  as  our  globe, 
and  decipher  its  long-hidden  history.  He  who  brought 
Abraham  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  never  promised  to 
this  generation  a  land  far  in  the  west,  bordering  upon 
the  Great  Sea,  and  flowing  with  gold  and  silver.  In- 
spiration was  not  so  occupied.  High  moral  aims,  glo- 
rious spiritual  revelations  and  reformations,  engaged 
the  pens  of  prophets.  0  ye  adventurers,  ye  scholars, 
ye  who  gather  up  so  eagerly  the  news  of  foreign  com- 
motions and  domestic  enterprise,  ye  who  say,  ''  Let  us 
go  into  this  or  that  city,  and  buy  and  sell  and  get 
gain ;  "  all  ye  men  and  women,  immersed  in  worldli- 


THE     HOLY     SPIRIT.  267 

ness,  give  ear;  God  speaks  ;  three  thousand  years  ago 
he  spoke:  "I  will  pour  out  water  upon  him  that  is 
thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground  ;  I  will  pour 
my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed  and  my  blessing  upon  thine 
offspring." 

By  this  we  do  not  understand  anything  inferior  or 
purely  ministerial  on  the  part  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Angels  are  Jehovah's  servants,  doing  his  command- 
ments, hearkening  nnto  the  voice  of  his  word;  but  we 
conceive  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  acting  in  his  own  free 
and  coequal  capacity,  when  his  gracious  visitations 
are  experienced.  Of  course  we  ascribe  to  him  a 
proper  personality.  We  do  not  resolve  these  pre- 
dicf  ed  displays  into  a  special  manifestation  merely  of 
God's  omnipresence. 

The  last  days  are  prophetically  characterized   not 
only   as   the    dispensation    of  Messiah,   but    the    dis- 
pensation of  the  Spirit.     Next  in  importance  to  the 
predictions  wdiich  announce  the  coming  of  Shiloh,  are 
those  Avhich  relate  to  the  reform  and  enlargement  of 
his  visible  kingdom,  through  thfe  agency  of  the  Spirit. 
Hence  we  find  the  epithet  "  Spirit  of  promise."     The 
Mosaic  dispensation  was  local  and  limited,  not  adapted 
to  development,  nor  designed  for  extension.     On  a  pre- 
scribed territory,  and  under  a  rigid  ritual,  the  Church 
was  then  in  its  chrysalis  state.      Its  function  was  pre- 
paratory to  something  better.    Life  there  was,  yet  held 
in  check;  it  was  entombed.     Though  glorious,  Paul 
calls  it  the  ministration  of  death;    "how  then  shall 
not  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ! " 
When  Christ  was  received  up  out  of  sight,  what  did 
his  disciples  do?     Go  at  once  to  preaching?     They 


268  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

went  up  into  an  upper  room,  and  engaged  in  supplica^ 
tion.  Ten  days  did  they,  one  hundred  and  twenty  in 
all,  continue  in  prayer;  and  it  was  while  they  were 
thus  together  with  one  accord  that  the  wonders  of 
pentecost  were  witnessed.  Then  began  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Spirit ;  and  what  an  inaugural !  Well 
indeed  might  the  aged  Zacharias  previously  exult  at 
the  presentation  of  him  who  was  only  a  prophet  of  the 
Highest ;  well  might  the  wise  men  bring  gold,  frankin- 
cense and  myrrh,  and  angels  sing  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  at  the  birth  of  Immanuel ;  but  fulness  of  joy 
for  saints  and  angels  did  not  come  till  the  pentecos- 
tal  effusion,  when  three  thousand  v/ere  in  one  day 
added  to  the  Lord,  as  first-fruits  of  that  glorious 
ingathering  which  the  Holy  Ghost  will  continue  to 
secure  till  the  last  conversion  has  taken  place  on 
earth. 

Peter  refers  that  display  to  the  ascended  Saviour: 
"  Being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having 
received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
he  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear." 
Afterwards,  when  the  same  apostle  preached  at  Cses- 
area,  "  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  them  which  heard  the 
Word."  The  Jews,  even  believing  Jews,  were  aston- 
ished that  on  the  Gentiles  was  poured  out  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Paul  found  it  necessary  to  argue  the 
point  with  them :  "  That  the  blessing  of  Abraham 
might  come  on  tlie  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ,  that 
we  might  receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through 
faith."  Hitherto  the  Holy  Land  had  been  like  Gid- 
eon's fleece,  which  alone  v/as  moistened  by  the  dew  of 
heaven.     In  regard   to   the   measure   of  that   divine 


THE     HOLY     SPIRIT.  269 

blessing,  the  people  of  Israel  bad  been  like  a  garden 
slowly  and  partially  irrigated  by  a  single  hand ;  in  the 
last  times  showers  are  to  descend. 

It  is  less  easy  for  us  to  appreciate  than  to  criminate 
the  peculiar  feelings  of  Jews  and  Jewish  converts. 
We  cannot  readily  conceive  with  what  a  shock  it 
must  have  come  to  their  ears  that  "  in  every  place 
incense  shall  be  offered  and  a  pure  offering."  What  vio- 
lence to  the  prejudice  v/hich  centuries  have  ripened 
to  find  that  despised  Gentiles  are  to  share  equally  in 
degree,  and  with  priority  of  bestowment,  the  richest 
blessings  foretold  in  prophecy !  Yet  that  Jewish 
incredulity  is  altogether  pardonable  compared  with 
ours.  Exempt  from  such  a  bias  of  education,  enjoying 
the  light  which  eighteen  centuries  throw  upon  the 
pages  of  the  Old  Testament,  Christians  seem  almost 
equally  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets 
have  spoken  and  our  Lord  has  confirmed. 

The  great  promise  for  the  thirsting,  longing  Church 
is,  "I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  "  —  the  ruling  family  and 
the  people  at  large  —  all  classes.  As  if  God  had 
declared.  Under  Messiah's  reign  I  will  give  abundant 
measures  of  the  Spirit's  influence  to  my  people,  to 
elders  and  laity,  to  high  and  low.  For  his  own 
churches,  so  far  as  they  embrace  his  true  people,  does 
our  Advocate  pray  the  Father  that  he  may  send  "  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, because 
it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him."  With  them, 
in  an  important  sense,  does  it  rest,  whether  others  shall 
experience  life-giving  energies. 

Sometimes  —  we  blush  and  weep  in  confessing  it  — 

23* 


270  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

their  unbelief  induces  Christ  to  refrain  from  doing 
many  m.ighty  works.  To  an  extent  that  should  make 
them  tremble,  are  they  intrusted  with  the  destinies  of 
the  impenitent.  All  indication  of  hope  for  churches 
and  for  the  world  must  be  looked  for  from  within 
these  sacred  fraternities  to  whom  pertain  "  the  cove- 
nants, and  the  service  of  God,  and  the  promises." 

Ordinarily,  liowever,  in  connection  with  their  prayers 
and  efforts,  renovating  influences  are  extended  to  oth- 
ers. For  this  there  are  guarantees  the  most  ample 
that  can  be  desired,  —  so  ample  and  so  explicit,  that 
most  Christians  seem  to  see  no  alternative  but  to  mis- 
interpret them,  or  else  distrust  the  faithfulness  of  God. 
What,  now,  is  the  attitude  which  authorizes  a  church 
to  expect  this  promised  blessing?  That  of  prayer, 
humble,  fervent  prayer.  "  I  will  pour  water  upon  the 
thirsty ; "  upon  those  longing,  and  feeling  deeply  their 
need  of  it.  Spiritual  blessings  are  not  conferred  and 
continued  irrespective  of  prayer.  Never  have  we  a 
right  to  expect  them  except  in  connection  w^ith  believ- 
ing supplication.  Yv^hen  God,  by  the  mouth  of  Ezekiel, 
promises,  ^^  I  will  put  my  spirit  within  you,"  and  at 
the  same  time  the  most  abundant  prosperity,  it  is 
added,  ^'  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  yet  for  this 
be  inquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel  to  do  it  for 
them."  When  God  pours  his  Spirit  upon  all  flesh, 
his  house  will  be  called  "  the  house  of  prayer  for  all 
people." 

The  devout  disposition  itself  is  not  less  a  gift  of 
God.  One  condition  and  effect  of  the  promised  favor 
is,  ^' The  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplications."  Never 
are  the  other  Christian  graces  quickened  and  strength- 


SPREAD     OF     CHRISTIANITY.  271 

ened  without  an  augmented  love  of  prayer.  When 
the  Holy  Spirit's  influence  is  as  "  floods  upon  the  dry 
ground,"  then  are  there  groanings  that  cannot  be  ut- 
tered. With  frequency,  fervor,  and  boldness,  does  the 
believer  draw  nigh,  and  an  irrepressible  ardor  is  kin- 
dled in  the  soul. 


IV.     SPRE^U)    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

Herodotus  says  the  Persians  were  wont  to  offer 
prayers  with  their  sacrifices,  but  that  no  one  might 
pray  for  himself  alone.  Each  must  supplicate  specially 
for  the  king.  The  custom  was  beautiful  and  praise- 
worthy ;  but  upon  a  closer  viev/,  the  charm  vanishes. 
In  Persia,  the  monarch  was  everything,  the  subject 
nothing.  Darius  or  Xerxes  was  not  only  king,  but 
the  kingdom ;  while  the  slaves  whom  he  commanded 
had  no  acknowledged  individual  right  or  value.  This 
usage  was  not  the  result  of  genuine  benevolence  or 
of  patriotism,  so  much  as  of  servile  subjection  to  the 
national  idoL  Moreover,  such  intercession  was  com- 
pulsory. 

In  vain  do  we  look  for  the  golden  rule  of  devotion, 
save  among  the  statutes  of  the  King  of  kings.  Our 
holy  religion  has  nothing  merely  national  in  it.  Uni- 
versal adaptation  is  its  glory,  and  universal  prevalence 
its  aim  and  destiny.  It  inculcates  the  worship  of  one 
God,  who,  in  the  widest  sense,  is  Father  of  us  all.  It 
reveals  one  Mediator.  It  enforces  the  law  of  equal 
love  to  our  neighbor,  and  shows  that  to  our  neighbor- 
hood there  is  no  limitation  by  kindred  or  locality.     It 


272  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

conceives  of  mankind  as  a  family ;  it  aims  to  bring  all 
into  a  holy  brotherhood. 

Under  the  Jewish  economy,  the  existence  of  a  king- 
dom which  is  spiritual,  in  distinction  from  what  is  visi- 
ble and  national,  was  but  imperfectly  apprehended. 
The  outward  and  temporary  engrossed  attention. 
Faith  as  strong,  prayer  as  prevailing,  as  any  in  the 
last  times  existed  ;  but  their  objects  were  different. 
The  revival  and  diffusion  of  inward  piety  were  not  so 
frequently  the  theme  of  distinctive  petitions.  More 
often  did  those  petitions  relate  to  the  temporal  deliv- 
erance and  prosperity  of  Israel  as  a  whole,  or  of  indi- 
viduals belonging  to  the  nation.  In  the  house  of 
bondage,  the  cry  of  an  oppressed  people  came  up  to 
God,  and  he  heard  it.  In  their  dismay  at  the  Red  Sea, 
they  appealed  to  the  Lord,  and  he  delivered  them. 
Subsequently,  in  answer  to  their  united  entreaties, 
they  were  rescued  from  the  Philistines,  the  Assyrians, 
and  other  foes. 

There  was,  however,  progress  in  the  views  and  de- 
sires of  the  better  part  of  that  nation,  and  particularly 
of  the  prophets  ;  and  of  these  especially  the  later 
prophets.  Whatever  degeneracy  there  might  be  in 
the  mass,  individuals  there  were  in  the  wane  of  the  the- 
ocracy who  had  just  conceptions  of  spiritual  religion 
and  of  the  future  reign  of  Messiah.  The  glowing  pro- 
fession of  Isaiah  is  heard  :  "  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not 
hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest, 
until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness, 
and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burneth." 
These  denote  individual  exceptions  rather  than  the 
common  sentiment. 


SPREAD     OF     CHRISTIANITY.  273 

The  Jewish  dispensation  in  its  whole  genius  and 
design  was  limited  and  national.  A  universal  adapta- 
tion, an  expansive  power,  any  immediate  design  or 
agency  that  contemplated  benevolently  those  round 
about,  it  had  not,  and  could  not  have.  The  agrarian 
and  the  ceremonial  laws,  the  whole  polity  of  that  peo- 
ple, were  designed  to  make  and  keep  them  stationary 
and  exclusive. 

When  that  dispensation  had  waxed  old,  and  was 
ready  to  vanish  away,  the  spirit  of  proseljHism  did, 
indeed,  spring  up,  especially  among  the  Pharisees  ; 
but  the  character  of  their  converts  accorded  with  the 
character  of  their  devotions.  In  the  days  of  earlier 
and  comparative  power,  so  far  as  the  Jew  had  deal- 
ings with  other  nations,  it  was  chiefly  in  the  way  of 
subjugation,  not  of  conversion.  AlHance  with  them 
was  prohibited ;  their  instruction  and  moral  ameliora- 
tion were  not  enjoined.  For  four  thousand  years, 
probably,  an  intelligent  prayer  was  not  offered  or 
effort  put  forth  with  a  view  to  the  general  spread  of 
spiritual  religion. 

In  the  fulness  of  times  a  new  dispensation  opened, 
contemplating  universal  conquest.  The  early  preach- 
ers and  converts  were  eminently  persons  of  prayer. 
After  the  pentecostal  effusion,  "the  disciples  con- 
tinued steadfastly  in  prayers."  The  seven  deacons 
were  chosen  in  order  that  the  apostles  might  give 
themselves  continually  to  prayer  and  to  the  ministry 
of  the  word.  The  first  thing  told  of  the  converted 
persecutor  of  Tarsus  was,  '•  Behold  he  prayeth  !  "  In 
the  suburbs  of  Philippi,  on  the  river's  side,  was  a  place 
where  "  prayer  was  wont  to  be  made."  Paul  and  Silas 
prayed  in  prison.  •  Stephen  went  to  heaven  in  prayer. 


274  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Pass  to  the  second  century,  and  to  the  period  of  the 
first  general  persecution.  Take  Polycarp  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  that  era.  When  the  officers  came  to 
apprehend  him,  he  ordered  them  all  such  refreshment 
as  they  might  wish,  asking  only  the  favor  of  one  hour 
for  prayer  ;  but  the  ardor  of  his  devotions  carried  him 
on  unconsciously  to  twice  that  time.  After  being  con- 
demned and  brought  to  the  stake,  before  the  fire  was 
lighted,  he  prayed  thus  :  ''  0  Lord,  Almighty  God  !  the 
Father  of  thy  beloved  Son  Jesus  Christ,  through  wdiom 
we  have  received  a  knowledge  of  thee  !  God  of  angels, 
and  of  the  whole  creation,  of  the  Avhole  human  race, 
and  of  the  saints  wdio  live  before  thy  presence  !  I 
thank  thee  that  thou  hast  thought  me  worthy,  this 
day  and  this  hour,  to  share  the  cup  of  Christ  among 
the  number  of  thy  witnesses  ! " 

Advance  to  the  third  century.  Let  Cyprian  stand 
as  its  representative.  When  brought  before  the  tri- 
bunal of  the  proconsul  and  asked,  ^^  Who  are  you?-' 
he  replies,  '•  I  am  a  Christian  and  a  bishop ;  I  know  no 
God  but  the  true  God,  who  created  the  heaven  and 
the  earth  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  is  in  them.  This 
God  we  Christians  serve ;  to  this  God  we  pray  day 
and  night  for  ourselves,  for  all  mankind,  and  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  emperor  himself.'' 

It  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  examples  of  the 
spirit  of  prayer  among  early  martyrs.  The  whole 
church  was  like  that  Christian  legion  in  the  army  of 
Aurclius,  which,  from  the  answer  to  their  prayer,  was 
called  Legio  fulminea.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to  depict 
the  decline  of  this  spirit  of  reliance  upon  God,  as  well 
as  the  growing  baneful  influence  of  philosophy  and 


SPREAD     OF     CHRISTIANITY.  275 

outward  prosperity.  Gladly  do  we  pass  over  that 
dreary  night  of  ignorance  and  superstition  which 
reigned  so  widely  in  Christendom  till  the  period  of  the 
Reformation. 

From  the  fifth  century  onward,  the  true  idea  of  the 
church  and  her  mission  in  this  lost  world  had  nearly 
died  out ;  but  prayer  has  been  offered,  and  that  idea 
has  been  restored.  Grant  that  a  just  conception  is  en- 
tertained only  to  a  limited  degree  ;  it  is  entertained 
more  fully  and  by  more  individuals;  it  is  spreading 
more  rapidly,  and  is  followed  by  more  encouraging  re- 
sults than  at  any  other  period  within  the  last  fourteen 
hundred  years.  There  is  at  this  moment  more  to  swell 
the  Christian's  heart,  more  to  fortify  his  faith,  more  to 
animate  his  petitions  into  one  unceasing,  importunate 
entreaty,  than  at  any  other  moment  since  the  first 
prayer  ever  offered  went  up  to  the  mercy-seat.  In 
spite  of  all  the  unbelief  and  death  still  reigning  on 
earth,  God,  his  Sou,  and  his  Spirit,  holy  angels,  and 
glorified  martyrs,  rejoice  over  this  hour.  The  whole 
church-militant  ought  to  arouse.  We  may  bless  the 
God  of  our  fathers  that  he  gave  us  our  being  within 
the  cycle  of  this  latter-day's  benevolent  enterprise. 
Shall  we  not  give  ourselves  in  singleness  and  ardor  of 
purpose,  and  with  unfaihng  supplication,  to  our  appro- 
priate office  and  instrumentality, — the  extension  of 
Christ's  kingdom  ? 

United  prayer  is  required.  The  church  has  a  com- 
mon and  equal  interest  in  it.  God  never  designed 
that  a  few  only  of  his  people  should  enjoy  the  priv- 
ilege of  intercession  for  their  perishing  fellow-men. 
Never  is  he  pleased  to  have  that  remain  the  luxury  of  a 


276  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

miser,  but  social,  and  hence  reduplicated.  Through 
Isaiah,  the  Spirit  foretold,  ''  I  will  make  them  joyful 
in  my  house  of  prayer ;  their  burnt-offering  and  their 
sacrifices  shall  be  accepted  upon  mine  altar ;  for  mine 
house  shall  be  called  the  house  of  prayer  for  all  peo- 
ple," Through  Zechariah  it  was  foretold,  "It  shall 
come  to  pass  that  there  shall  come  people,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  many  cities  ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  one 
city  shall  go  to  another,  saying,  Let  us  go  speedily  to 
pray  before  the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  of  hosts ; 
I  will  go  also.'' 

What  a  relief  it  is  that  such  times  may  often  occur ! 
Burdened  with  the  thought  of  a  world  lying  in  wick- 
edness, overwhelmed  at  the  spectacle  of  millions  in 
the  broad  road  to  destruction,  longing  irrepressibly 
to  see  Christ  crowned  Lord  of  all,  how  is  the  indi- 
vidual believer  strengthened  when  his  supplications 
mingle  with  the  cloud  of  incense  that  goes  up  before 
the  throne !  Not  less  here  than  elsev^here  is  union 
strength. 


V.     LARGE   REQUESTS. 

All  persons  of  lively  imagination  have  at  some  pe- 
riod of  life  day-dreams  of  semi-omnipotence.  Amidst 
the  fancies  of  childhood,  or  the  vagaries  of  maturer 
years ;  in  seasons  of  nervous  disturbance  or  of  lialf- 
wakefulness,  there  will  float  before  the  mind  a  tran- 
sient phantom  of  what  one  would  be  and  do  if  sud- 
denly possessed  of  superhuman  power.  With  the  ease 
of  oriental  creation,  splendid  palaces  and  gorgeous  fur- 


LARGE     REQUESTS.  277 

niture  rise  before  the  eye ;  with  more  than  the  ease 
of  Midas  golden  treasures  are  multiplied  ;  by  a  simple 
volition  all  luxuries,  all  honors,  are  attained  and  rev- 
elled in,  till  at  length  some  rough  reality  jostles  the 
dreamer  into  a  consciousness  of  his  actual  poverty  and 
weakness. 

Now  there  is  a  way  by  which  more  may  be  realized 
than  we  have  dreamed  of:  ^' All  things  whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive."  May 
not  this  be  a  marginal  gloss,  the  extravaganza  of  some 
enthusiast,  which  has  been  interpolated  into  the  text? 
Nay,  the  passage  has  equal  authority  with  any  other 
in  the  New  Testament ;  these  are  the  words  of  truth 
and  soberness  ;  they  fell  from  the  lips  of  One  who 
knew  whereof  he  affirmed.  If  startling,  they  are  so 
only  because  of  unbelief;  only  because  the  lively  ora- 
cles have  been  studied  to  such  little  purpose. 

It  behooves  every  one  to  look  with  care  into  the 
great  charter  of  his  hopes  and  privileges ;  to  inquire 
how  much  has  been  placed  to  his  credit  by  the  munifi- 
cent Lord  of  all ;  to  inform  himself  where  the  lines  of 
assurance  and  presumption  respectively  run ;  and  to 
beware  of  wronging  himself  or  others,  and  dishonor- 
ing God  by  scantiness  of  petitions.  While  the  divine 
promises,  predictions,  and  providences,  are  the  only 
safe  guide  to  our  prayers,  the  world,  and  too  often  the 
church,  practically  give  the  lie  to  Jehovah.  They 
seem  extensively  to  act  upon  the  assumption,  either 
that  God  has  not  given  the  assurances  which  his 
Word  records,  or  that  he  is  insincere  in  communi- 
cating them. 

Never  was  there  an  age  in  which  this  semi-skep- 

24 


278  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

tical  spirit  among  the  churches  of  Christ  was  more 
flagrantly  out  of  place  than  the  present.  The  ener- 
getic enterprise,  the  mighty  movements  of  the  secular 
world,  bring  all  unbelief  and  spiritual  inactivity  into  a 
more  manifest  and  mortiiying  conspiciiity  than  ever 
before.  Amidst  all  the  excellences  and  efforts  of 
God's  people,  it  must  still  be  confessed  that  in  their 
aims  and  hearts  there  remains  an  unpardonable  amount 
of  what  is  little  and  low.  There  are  many  whose  vis- 
ion and  thoughts  seem  scarcely  ever  to  rise  beyond 
other  and  higher  clouds  than  those  which  ascend  from 
their  own  comfortable  hearthstones.  Never  was  there 
more  needed  some  powerful  Scriptural  sentiment  to 
fire  every  sanctified  heart,  to  pervade  all  minds  in 
Christendom  which  have  fellowship  with  Christ,  over- 
mastering inferior  and  counter  impulses,  imparting 
nerve,  eliciting  and  combining  the  energies  of  the 
whole  church-militant.  Eminently  is  there  needed  a 
spirit  that  shall  rise  to  a  full  appreciation  of  the  prom- 
ises, a  spirit  laboring  with  vast  and  holy  desires,  with 
irrepressible  and  inexhaustible  supplications. 

The  answering  of  large  requests  is  peculiarly  hon- 
orable to  God.  The  more -excellent  any  benefit,  the 
more  ready  is  he  to  bestow  it.  To  communicate  is  his 
delight.  There  is  in  him  an  infinite  affluence  of  love, 
and  it  accords  with  his  eternal,  cherished  purpose  to 
make  known  riches  of  grace  by  Jesus  Christ. 

The  tendency  of  unbelief  is  to  bring  all  this  into 
doubt,  to  throw  discredit  upon  the  ability  or  integrity 
of  God  ;  to  allow  the  soul  no  enlargement  of  desires  ; 
to  imprison  it  within  the  straitened  and  dreary  limits 
of  sense  ;  to  persuade  the  suppliant  that  God  is  alto- 


LARGE     REQUESTS.  279 

getlier  such  an  one  as  himself,  bringing  clown  the 
all-wiso  and  bountiful  God  to  the  low  level  of  human 
selfishness.  ^'  0  thou  that  art  named  by  the  name  of 
Jacob,  is  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  straitened  ?  "  Does 
giving  impoverish  him?  Does  he  fear  exhaustion? 
Not  only  is  hQ  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above 
all  that  we  ask  or  think,  but,  as  the  heavens  are  high 
above  the  earth,  so  are  his  ways  of  giving  higher  than 
our  ways.  The  fulness  of  his  benevolence  will  not  be 
measured  by  the  littleness  of  man's  unbelief.  It  would 
be  derogatory  to  his  wisdom  and  goodness,  were  lie  to 
limit  his  bounties  to  the  skeptical  scale  of  our  peti- 
tions. Thanks  that  he  is  not  circumscribed  to  such  an 
inglorious  sphere  ! 

Among  men,  munificent  minds,  whether  influenced 
by  passion  or  caprice,  or  by  an  habitually  lofty  senti- 
ment, furnish  one  point  of  appropriate  analogy.  Of 
such,  having  large  possessions  and  large  hearts,  it  is 
not  unfrequently  easier  to  obtain  by  thousands  than 
by  hundreds  for  a  charitable  object.  Ample  requests 
and  donations  suit  their  turn  of  mind.  To  a  friend 
asking  aid,  Alexander  gave  a  blank  order  on  his  treas- 
urer to  be  filled  with  any  sum  he  might  choose.  The 
indigent  philosopher  immediately  demanded  ten  thou- 
sand pounds.  When  the  treasurer,  who  had  refused 
to  pay  the  sum,  remonstrated  with  the  king,  Alexan- 
der replied,  "  Let  the  money  be  instantly  paid.  I  am 
dehglitod  with  this  philosopher's  way  of  thinking.  Ho 
has  done  me  a  signal  honor ;  by  the  largeness  of  his 
request,  he  shows  the  high  idea  he  has  conceived  both 
of  my  superior  wealth,  and  m}^  royal  munificence." 
Is  not  the  King  of  kings  honored  by  large  requests  ? 


280  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Few  seem  to  be  aware  how  he  is  dishonored  by  their 
not  rising  to  a  more  comprehensive  and  vigorous  grasp 
of  faith.  All  need  to  be  placed  in  a  school  where  they 
shall  go  on  from  one  grade  to  another  in  learning  the 
proper  scope  of  supplication,  and  the  fulness  of  God's 
promises. 

What  a  slight  is  it  upon  God,  who  has  exhaustless 
treasures  in  store  for  the  church  and  the  world,  who 
throws  wide  open  the  door  and  invites  believers  to 
become  almoners  to  the  largest  amount,  for  them  to 
look  doubtingly  on,  and  take  hardly  enough  each  for 
himself,  when  thousands  might  as  well  be  filled !  Thus 
are  souls  kept  starving  and  Zion  languishing.  0  need- 
less famine  !  0  fraudulent  bankruptcy  !  We  would 
be  no  longer  content  with  moderate  desires  and  re- 
quests. In  view  of  the  promises,  we  would  stir  up 
ourselves  to  a  devout  enterprise;  would  strike  out  upon 
this  broad  ocean,  and  spread  all  sail.  There  is  as 
much  encouragement  to  seek  great  things  as  to  seek 
at  all.  Has  not  past  experience  sometimes  surprised 
us  by  the  largeness  of  bestowment,  and  that  too 
merely  as  an  earnest  of  what  God  is  ever  ready  to 
grant  ? 

0  Lord,  marvellous  are  thy  works,  and  that  my  soul 
knoweth  right  well !  Are  you  in  trouble,  are  you  cast 
down  ?  Go,  study  the  promises.  You  will  find  them 
springs  of  everlasting  consolation.  What  we  need  is 
not  so  much  to  find  our  own  fidelity  to  God  as  his 
faithfulness  to  us.  Pillowed  on  a  promise,  you  may 
sleep  quietly  amidst  the  wreck  of  health  and  domestic 
hopes,  all  revulsions  in  business,  and  all  convulsions  of 
the  social  world. 


LARGE     REQUESTS.  281 

Do  such  feeble  means  as  your  prayers  seem  wholly 
insignificant,  and  unworthy  of  being  thus  honored? 
Remember  that  it  is  not  for  your  doings  that  God  be- 
stows largely.  It  is  for  his  own  name's  sake  that  he 
does  it.  In  appointing  and  honoring  this  humble 
medium,  human  prayer,  his  condescension  is  as  signal 
as  his  munificence  in  granting.  Go  inquire  after  the 
vast  Slims  said  to  have  been  placed  to  your  credit,  and 
see  if  it  be  not  so.  Bid  unbelief  be  gone.  Confide  in 
Jesus'  advocacy.  Be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  for  the 
Lord ;  there  is  no  mountain  v/hich  will  not  at  your  bid- 
ding be  removed  into  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

In  the  desert  of  Northern  Africa  the  oasis  of  Sidi 
Rached  has  of  late  years  become  nearly  burned-  up 
for  the  want  of  water ;  and  it  seemed  likely  to  disap- 
pear altogether.  French  engineers  sunk  an  Artesian 
well  there  ;  and  as  soon  as  a  hard  stratum  at  the  depth 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  had  been  pierced,  water 
rose  and  poured  forth  at  the  rate  of  one  thousand 
gallons  a  minute.  There  it  is  flowing  still,  a  magnifi- 
cent perennial  fountain  in  the  midst  of  a  burning 
waste.  No  sooner  had  the  jet  burst  forth  than  the 
whole  population  of  the  neighboring  village  rushed  to 
the  spot  in  the  wildest  glee ;  women  and  children 
throwing  themselves  into  the  stream  as  if  they  had 
never  before  seen  that  element  of  life  and  fertility. 
The  old  chief  of  Sidi  Rached  could  not  contain  him. 
self;  he  kneeled  down  and  wept  for  joy.  The  day 
following,  the  inhabitants  of  neighboring  Arab  villa- 
ges thronged  to  the  spot,  thanking  the  engineer  and 
blessing  the  fountain.  For  six  days  they  kept  up  a 
joyous  festival,  and  at  once  set  to  work  opening  chan- 

24* 


282  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

nels  for  conducting  streams  to  the  parched  portions  of 
the  oasis. 

Are  not  we  assured  from  a  source  more  certain  than 
science,  that  there  are  supplies  of  life  and  wealth  fully 
sufficient  for  the  waste,  howling  wilderness  where  we 
sojourn  ?  Is  there  not  a  word  more  certain  than  ru- 
mor, and  needing  only  experiment  for  confirmation, 
"  In  the  wilderness  shall  waters  break  out,  and  streams 
in  the  desert,  and  the  parched  ground  shall  become  a 
pool,  and  the  thirsty  land  springs  of  water"?  Ay, 
down  beneath  this  arid,  unfruitful  surface  of  things, 
are  reservoirs  exhaustless  and  vivifying.  There  is 
only  needed  faith  in  Him  who  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  earth,  to  open  up  the  treasures.  '^  Blessed  is  the 
man  whose  strength  is  in  Thee ;  who,  passing  through 
the  valley  of  Baca,  maketh  it  a  well."  Come,  thirsty 
souls,  to  the  fountain.  ^'  Let  the  lame  man  leap  as  an 
hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing."  Bathe  in  that 
flood.  Keep  a  Thanksgiving-da}^ ;  and  make  haste  to 
open  channels  in  every  direction  for  the  life-giving 
waters.  ''  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall 
be  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and 
blossom  as  the  rose." 


XII. 

INTERCESSORY    PRAYER. 


I.     REASONS   AND    BENEFITS. 

OMMON  wants  and  reciprocal  obliga- 
tions are  the  ground  of  intercessory 
prayer.  The  benevolence  which  for- 
bids us  to  regard  any  human  being  as 
an  alien  to  our  hearts,  which  requires 
us  to  seek  the  highest  good  of  every 
one,  calls  for  supplication  to  Him  who 
is  God  over  all. 

The  usual  tenor  of  unpremeditated 
prayer  is  a  decisive  index  to  a  man's  dominant  feel- 
ings. If  that  charity  which  seeketh  not  her  own 
reigns  within,  it  will  manifest  itself  in  frequent  inter- 
cession. Indeed,  no  one  can  pray  for  himself  accept- 
ably, if  he  do  not  pray  for  others.^  This  is  one  of 
the  great  laws  governing  the  bestowment  of  divine 
favors.  Selfishness  is  self-defeating.  The  reference  is 
now  mainly  to  spiritual  benefits,  —  the  excellences  of 
religious  character,  and  the  comforts  of  religious  life. 
These  constitute  true  wealth,  honor,  and  happiness  ; 
and  the  measure  in  which  they  are  sought  for  one's 
self  and  others  is  the  gauge  of  a  man's,  moral  eleva- 

1  Frater,  si  pro  te  solum  ores,  solus  pro  te  oras;  si  pro  omnibus  oras,  omnes 
pro  te  Grant.  —  Augustine  to  Ambrose. 

283 


284  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

tioD,  liis  general  advancement  on  the  scale  of  real  dig- 
nity and  spiritual  worth. 

The  thoroughly  selfish  man  cannot  be  expected  to 
appreciate  this  principle  of  divine  procedure,  for  he 
has  no  experience  which  will  interpret  the  same.  To 
know  what  the  beauties  of  a  landscape  are,  men  must 
have  Qyes,  and  some  degree  of  correct  taste  also,  to 
see  with.  An  unobserving  or  egotistical  person  may 
range  over  the  globe  without  improvement.  A  great 
traveller  was  once  complaining  that  he  became'  no 
better  for  his  travels.  ^^  Very  true,"  said  Socrates, 
"  because  you  did  not  leave  yourself  behind."  To  be 
one's  own  centre  and  standard  is  to  renounce  all  true 
methods  and  motives  for  improvement. 

It  is  in  praying  as  in  giving.  No  man  ever  finds 
himself  poorer  at  the  year's  end  for  bestowing,  in  due 
proportion,  of  his  substance  upon  charitable  objects. 
So  far  from  that,  such  persons  usually  have  success  in 
their  lawful  pursuits,  while  the  opposite  course  is  as 
often  attended  by  losses,  and  not  unfrequently  by 
great  disasters.  Only  when  poured  out  for  another 
was  oil  resupplied  in  the  widow's  cruse.  Living 
springs  are  none  the  less  full  for  pouring  forth  of  their 
abundance.  It  is  said  that  just  before  a  rain  Avater 
always  rises  in  the  wells ;  and  is  there  not  a  similar 
phenomenon  in  the  world  of  grace  ?  Does  not  that 
which  is  in  the  hearts  of  Christ's  people,  as  a  well  of 
water,  spring  up  more  fully  just  before  the  descent  of 
showers  that  supply  the  springs  ? 

The  obligation  to  do  good  to  others  ^vould  be  imper- 
ative if  it  were  attended  with  no  profit  or  pleasure  to 
ourselves ;  indeed,  if  the  only  result  to  us  were  labor 


EEASONS     AND     BENEFITS.  285 

and  suffering ;  but  our  Lord  has  been  graciously 
pleased  to  connect  reflex  benefits  with  all  benevolent 
efforts.  Whoever,  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  in  obe- 
dience to  his  "  Follow  me,"  arises  and  leaves  all,  re- 
ceives an  araple  return  in  the  present  life.  While  we 
would  not  do  good  for  the  sake  of  the  reward,  it  is  not 
wrong  to  remember  the  large  compensation  brought 
to  ourselves.  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive  ; 
and  that  greater  blessedness  consists  partly  herein,  — 
that  the  feelings  awakened,  and  the  impulse  communi- 
cated to  the  heart  in  the  act  of  Christian  forthputting, 
are  superior  to  those  experienced  by  the  mere  recip- 
ient. Which  was  the  happier  man, — the  one  who  had 
his  wounds  bound  up  and  who  received  such  kind  gra- 
tuitous care  at  the  inn,  or  the  good  Samaritan?  When, 
through  inactivity,  the  body  becomes  feeble,  there 
must  be  along  with  wholesome  food  an  increase  of 
exercise.  So,  too,  with  the  mind  and  the  affections. 
There  is  a  dyspepsia  of  the  heart.  It  is  sometimes 
owing  to  want  of  exercise,  and  sometimes  to  a  sur- 
feit in  the  luxuries  of  passive  enjoyment.  The 
Christian  who  does  little  or  nothing  besides  attend 
religious  meetings  is  in  great  danger  of  contracting 
this  disease,  —  an  unsuspected,  refined  selfishness  in 
spiritual  things.  At  first  it  will  show  itself  in  a  febrile 
excitement ;  then,  very  likely,  by  a  longing,  listless, 
hypochondriacal  habit.  Tonics  are  required  ;  exercise 
is  indispensable.  It  is  a  people  ^^  zealous  of  good 
works"  that  Christ  has  redeemed.  To  flag  in  that 
zeal  is  a  symptom  of  disease.  Other  things  equal, 
safety,  comfort,  and  growth  will  be  measured  by  right- 
ly-directed efforts  to  do  good,  and  especially  to  the 


286  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

sculs  of  our  fellow-men.  Job's  early  and  palmy  clays 
were  not  so  much  in  the  midst  of  his  flocks  and  herds, 
as  when  he  could  say,  "  Because  I  delivered  the  poor 
that  cried,  and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  had  none 
to  help  him,  the  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to 
perish  came  upon  me." 

Two  Lapland  travellers  were  journeying  in  a  sledge. 
They  had  wrapped  themselves  warmly  in  furs,  their 
eyebrows  only  being  visible,  and  those  were  encrusted 
with  frost.  The}^  saw  at  length  a  poor  man,  who,  over- 
come with  cold,  had  sunk  in  the  snov\^  "  We  must 
stop,"  said  one,  ^^  and  help  him."  ^'  By  no  means,"  said 
the  other;  "we  can  never  think  of  stopping  such  a 
day  as  this  ;  we  are  half-frozen  ourselves."  The  more 
benevolent  man  insisted  on  getting  out,  while  his  com- 
panion remained  in  the  sledge,  wrapping  up  as  warm 
as  possible,  and  taking  what  he  supposed  to  be  the 
best  care  of  himself  The  other  used  the  customary 
means,  rubbing  and  the  like,  and  was  successful.  By 
this  means,  he  got  into  a  delightful  glow  of  warmth  him- 
self; while  his  comrade,  who  remained  in  the  sledge, 
came  near  perishing.  So  it  is  in  all  benevolent  effort : 
there  is  a  healthful  reflex  influence. 

The  best  alms  and  the  truest  kindness  that  we  can 
bestow  on  any  one  is  devoutly  to  pray  for  him.  It 
brings  to  him  that  which  he  most  needs,  that  which  we 
cannot  of  ourselves  communicate,  and  which  we  can 
in  no  other  way  procure  for  him. 

It  is  said  that  the  ancient  Jews  looked  upon  it  as 
their  duty,  when  offering  sacrifice,  to  pray  in  the  first 
place  for  the  common  safety,  and  then  for  their  own 
private  concerns.      The  HebreAV  Rabbis  tefl  us  that 


REASONS     AND     BENEFITS.  287 

the  last  thing  their  High  Priest  prayed  for  on  the 
great  day  of  expiation,  just  before  coming  out  of  the 
holy  place,  was  that  God  would  not  hear  the  prayers 
of  those  travelling ;  that  is,  prayers  offered  for  men's 
private  benefit  against  the  public  interest,  such  as  the 
petitions  of  persons  on  a  journey  are  apt  to  be,  who 
may  desire  fair  weather  while  every  one  else  asks  for 
rain. 

Nothing  is  so  blind  as  selfishness;  nothing  so  dead- 
ens the  moral  perceptions  ;  nor  are  there  any  limits  to 
the  silent  fanaticism  of  avarice  and  passion :  "  Let  the 
tornado  strike  other  ships,  but  not  mine  ;  let  disaster 
overtake  all  my  rivals,  so  it  touch  me  not ;  let  disease 
smite  down  all  who  would  injure  me,  but  give  me 
health,  wealth,  long  life,  and  universal  success.''  Is 
that  any  great  exaggeration  of  the  inconsistency  of 
every  attempt  which  selfishness  makes  at  being  devo- 
tional ?  Such  thoughts  are  only  imprecations  of  judg- 
ment upon  the  suppliant's  head ;  and  it  is  fearful  to 
contemplate  the  provocation  thus  given  to  God  by  re- 
nouncing the  Golden  Euie,  and  by  attempts  to  enlist 
him  as  an  auxiliary  to  one's  private  ends.  Self-oblivion 
is  the  surest  method  of  self-enrichment.  It  was  not 
while  groaning  and  murmuring  over  his  misfortunes, 
not  while  refuting  the  unsound  argument  that  great 
sufferings  prove  great  sins,  not  while  repelling  the 
charge  of  hypocrisy  and  other  imputations,  that  the 
patriarch  of  Uz  found  relief;  but  wlien,  after  yielding 
up  meekly  to  the  sovereign  appointment  of  Jehovah, 
he  began  to  intercede  for  those  who  had  uttered  such 
hard  speeches:  ^'And  the  Lord  turned  the  captivity 
of  Job,  when  he  prayed  for  his  friends." 


288  THE     MEECY-SEAT. 

In  seeking  mercy  for  others,  we  most  readily  find  it 
for  ourselves ;  because  the  heart  is  then  in  a  state  pe- 
culiarly flivorable  for  appreciating  divine  favors.  If 
we  were  called  to  select  from  the  whole  range  of  biog- 
raphy the  soul  stirred  by  the  highest  spiritual  aspira- 
tions ;  whose  religious  character  was  most  marked ; 
the  man  whose  joys  were  profoundest  and  most  uni- 
form, should  we  not  select  the  apostle  Paul?  and  could 
our  thoughts  fasten  upon  any  man  of  a  more  thoroughly 
disinterested  benevolence,  who  lived  less  for  himself, 
and  more  entirely  for  others  ?  Yet  in  what  particular 
does  his  deep  Christian  love  show  itself  more  strik- 
ingly than  in  supplication  for  others  ?  It  would  seem 
as  if  he  prayed  comparatively  little  for  himself.  In  his 
first  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  there  are  two  distinct 
prayers  :  in  his  second  Epistle  to  the  same  church,  two 
also  ;  and  in  one  of  the  chapters  to  the  Eomans  are 
found  three.  Look  at  express  declarations.  To  the 
Komans,  he  says,  "  God  is  my  witness  that  without 
ceasing  I  make  mention  of  you  always  in  my  prayers." 
To  the  Corinthians :  "  I  thank  my  God  always  in  your 
behalf"  To  the  Ephesians :  '^  I  cease  not  to  give 
thanks  for  you,  making  mention  of  you  in  my  prayers." 
To  the  Philippians :  "  I  thank  my  God  upon  every  re- 
membrance of  you,  always  in  every  prayer  of  mine  for 
you  all,  making  request  with  joy."  To  the  Colossians : 
"  For  this  cause  we,  also,  since  the  day  we  heard  it, 
do  not  cease  to  pray  for  you."  And  to  the  Thessalo- 
nians, uniting  with  Sylvanus  and  Timotheus :  "We 
give  thanks  to  God  ahvays  for  you  all,  making  mention 
of  you  in  our  prayers."  What  intensity  and  constancy 
of  fervor  in  supplication  for  Christian  friends  I     Are 


REASONS  AND  BENEFITS.        289 

we  to  suppose  that  he  was  ever  happier  or  stronger 
than  v/hen  thus  engaged,  or  that  but  for  this  unwea- 
ried intercession  his  own  soul  would  have  been  so 
replenished  ? 

It  is  often  the  case  that  eminent  Christians,  on  the 
approach  of  death,  cease  for  the  most  part  to  pray  for 
themselves,  and  become  absorbed  in  thoughts  about 
the  spiritual  good  of  others.  Edward  Yl.  supplicated 
with  his  dying  breath  that  his  kingdom  might  be  de- 
livered from  '^  papistry."  Sometimes  in  such  forgetful- 
ness  of  self  there  is  a  sublime  expansion  of  soul.  An 
aged  Christian,  when  his  pastor  inquired  for  what  he 
should  specially  pray  at  his  bedside,  answered,  —  as 
if  everything  needful  for  himself  were  already  granted, 
— ''  Pray  for  the  whole  family  of  mankind."  His 
thoughts  went  beyond  the  limits  of  self,  and  his  own 
household  and  country;  they  embraced  all  who  are 
proper  subjects  of  prayer.  Similar  was  it  a  few  years 
since  with  a  member  of  the  writer's  congregation,  an 
aged  widow,  in  a  retired  part  of  the  city,  wholly  de- 
pendent upon  her  unconverted  son,  in  whose  house 
she  and  her  daughter  found  a  home.  For  nearly  two 
years  before  death  she  was  unable  to  go  to  the  sanc- 
tuary, a  cancer  having  consumed  her  eyes.  For  a 
long  time  her  sufferings  were  extreme,  yet  was  her 
peace  like  a  river.  Shortly  before  the  great  change, 
her  pious  daughter  put  this  question,  ^'  Mother,  what 
is  now  your  strongest  desire  ? "  After  a  moment's 
pause,  she  replied,  "  The  conversion  of  the  world,  — 
the  conversion  of  the  world  ! " 

How  often  have  martyrs  exhibited  a  commanding 
elevation  of  soul ;  and  that,  too,  at  an  hour  when  wo 

25 


290  THE     M  E  R  C  Y- 8  E  A  T, 

might  well  suppose  their  thoughts  could  hardly  go 
beyond  themselves  !  Memorable  was  the  last  prayer 
of  Tyndale,  translator  of  the  Bible,  when  he  suffered 
at  the  stake:  "Lord^  open  the  King  of  England's  eyes!" 
"  Spare,  Lord,"  —  thus  did  Oswald,  a  pious  Saxon  king, 
breathe  out  his  life  on  the  field  of  battle,  — "  Spare, 
Lord,  the  souls  of  my  people."  "  Let  the  whole  earth 
be  filled  with  His  glory  ! "  was  the  signal  which  the 
gallant  Earl  of  Derby  gave  that  the  axe  should  fall. 
Holy  heroism  of  devotion !  Sublime  victories  over 
the  world  and  the  powers  of  darkness  !  Was  there 
not  a  heaven  in  their  hearts  ?  Did  angels  then  behold 
men  on  earth  more  enviable  in  character  or  condition  ? 


n.    PRAYER   FOR   BELIEVERS. 

"  Supplication  for  all  saints."  How  many  examples 
are  recorded  for  our  guidance  and  encouragement ! 
When  Israel  had  provoked  God  at  Sinai,  and  he  was 
about  to  destroy  them,  Moses  interceded  and  "The 
Lord  repented  him  of  the  evil  which  he  thought  to  do 
unto  his  people."  Afterwards,  on  a  like  occasion,  the 
great  leader  again  cried,  "  Pardon  the  iniquity  of  this 
people  according  to  the  greatness  of  thy  mercy,  and 
the  Lord  said,  I  have  pardoned  according  to  thy  word." 
Samuel  made  his  protestation,  "  Moreover,  as  for  me, 
God  forbid  that  I  should  sin  against  the  Lord  in  ceas- 
ing to  pray  for  you."  What  the  practice  of  Paul,  the 
prince  of  human  intercessors,  was  with  respect  to  com- 
munities of  believers,  we  have  already  seen. 

How  many  there  were  for  whom  he  prayed  individ- 


PRATER     FOR     BELIEVERS.  291 

ually  !  Who  can  doubt  that  this  was  the  case  in  regard 
to  all  those  to  whom  in  his  several  epistles  he  sends 
Christian  salutations  by  name  ?  while  in  his  letter  to 
Philemon,  merely  a  business  note,  five  verses  out  of 
twenty-five  refer  to  his  intercession  for  that  friend.  It 
is  well  thus  to  individualize  supplication.  There  will 
be  more  of  fervor,  particularity,  and  concentration.  '-'I 
never  fail,''  said  the  devout  Romaine,  "  to  make  inter- 
cession in  all  my  addresses  to  the  throne  of  grace. 
But  once  a  week,  on  Friday,  I  have  only  what  I  call 
the  clergy's  litany,  in  which,  after  general  petitions  for 
the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon  all  the  ministers  of 
our  church,  I  make  mention  by  name  of  those  of  my 
fellow-laborers  whom  God  has  highly  honored  in  mak- 
ing them  faithful  and  useful  in  the  ministry.  As  I  go 
over  their  names,  recommending  them  to  the  care,  and 
their  people  to  the  blessing,  of  our  glorious  Head,  it  is 
my  custom  to  ask  particularly  for  them  such  things 
as  I  know  or  hear  they  want."  Excellent  practice  I 
Whether  requested  or  not,  such  particularity  serves  to 
fan  the  flame  of  holy  devotion,  and  greatly  reduce  sins 
of  shortcoming  in  the  various  relations  of  friendship. 
The  more  intimate  any  social  or  other  relation  is,  the 
more  obviously  does  this  duty  commend  itself,  though 
intimacy  is  not  required  to  create  the  claim. 

How  often  is  such  a  devout  remembrance  privately 
requested  !  Can  any  claims  of  friendship  be  more  sa- 
cred than  these?  "Always,"  said  an  eminent  Chris- 
tian of  the  seventeenth  century ,i  —  "  always,  when  you 
think  of  your  friends,  let  it  be  with  a  praying  thought." 
He  would  sometimes  request  those  intimate  with  him 

*  John  Machin.    Clarke's  Lives,  i.  93. 


292  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

to  make  a  memorandum  in  his  day-book  of  such  things 
as  were  speciall}^  appropriate  for  reciprocal  interces- 
sion till  they  should  meet  again.  Give  me  such  a 
friend  as  one  ^  who,  two  hundred  years  ago,  wrote  thus 
to  a  correspondent :  ^'  Though  I  have  been  long  silent, 
I  am  your  orator  before  the  Highest  Throne,  and  do 
earnestly  desire  that  you  may  groAv  in  the  faith  of 
Jesus,  and  in  lively  communion  with  him,  which  is  the 
most  comfortable  thing  in  the  world."  Give  me  such 
a  friend  as  Richard  Baxter  had.  '^  To  show  how  great 
his  charity  was,  and  what  a  loss  I  have  myself  sus- 
tained, and  how  faulty  I  and  others  are  in  too  much 
forgetting  our  friends,  I  will  tell  you  that  he  often 
told  me  that  (as  far  as  I  can  remember,  about  twenty 
years)  he  never  went  to  God  in  prayer  but  he  partic- 
ularly remembered  me."  Do  costly  presents,  do  fre- 
quent kind  messages  or  other  attentions,  afford  such 
proof  of  valuable  attachment  as  devout  intercession  ? 

Brethren  in  Christ  stand  connected  with  particular 
churches,  to  all  of  whose  members  they  owe  special 
duties  of  supplication  ;  but  obligations  of  this  kind 
cannot  be  limited  by  the  narrow  bounds  of  a  single 
church  or  denomination  ;  the  entire  church-militant  is 
an  appropriate  field  of  intercession.  That  invisible 
community  has  in  character,  aim,  and  destination,  far 
more  that  is  homogeneous  than  any  other  community 
on  earth.  As  individuals,  and  as  a  whole,  they  are 
bound  by  a  living  and  everlasting  union  to  Christ  the 
head.  From  him  proceeds  the  Sanctifier  who  dwelleth 
in  them  all. 

What  lively  mutual  interest  should  there  be  through- 
out the  family,  and  how  can  such  sanctified  sympathy 

^  Key.  J.  Mason, 


PEAYER     FOR     BELIEVERS.  293 

show  itself  more  appropriately  than  by  intercession  ? 
In  proportion  as  Christ  assimilates  them  to  himself  will 
their  hearts  go  forth  in  supplications  for  one  another. 

Reverting  once  more  to  the  practice  of  the  great 
apostle,  we  find  upon  examining  his  thirteen  epistles, 
that  eleven  of  them  make  express  mention  of  prayer 
in  behalf  of  those  addressed.  The  second  one  to  the 
Thessalonians  has  a  prayer  in  every  chapter;  while 
intercessory  aspirations  seem  to  mingle  with  all  that 
be  wrote  and  said.  Constant  entreaty  for  saints  he 
both  enjoined  and  practised.  He  assures  the  church 
just  referred  to  that  he  devoutly  remembered  without 
ceasing  their  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love  :  "Where- 
fore also  we  pray  always  for  you."  To  Timothy  he 
writes,  "  Without  ceasing  I  have  remembrance  of  thee 
in  my  prayers  night  and  day." 

Literally  uninterrupted  supplication  is  not  meant. 
The  same  Lord  who  requires  fervency  of  spirit  also 
requires  us  to  be  not  slothful  in  business ;  and  this 
same  apostle  who  exhorts  to  pray  without  ceasing,  and 
did  himself  pray  thus,  also  wrought  with  his  own 
hands,  and  was  a  man  of  utmost  activity.  Respecting 
Mephibosheth,  it  is  recorded  that  "  he  did  eat  contin- 
ually at  the  king's  table  ; "  yet  who  would  infer  that 
he  never  rose  from  the  table,  nor  did  anything  but  eat? 
At  appropriate  times  he  always  appeared  at  the  king's 
table.  At  appropriate  seasons,  and  those,  it  may  be, 
occurred  much  oftener  than  his  meals,  Paul  prayed  for 
individual  believers  and  churches.  In  popular  lan- 
guage, and  without  danger  of  misunderstanding,  it  is 
said  of  anything  which  occurs  frequently,  that  it  takes 
place  all  the  while. 

26* 


294  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

Such  a  habit  of  constant  intercession  does  not  inter- 
fere with  special  prayer  on  particular  occasions.  As 
has  just  been  cited,  Paul  tells  Timothy  that,  at  one 
time,  he  prayed  for  him  night  and  day  ;  and  much  the 
same  is  perhaps  to  be  understood  by  it  as  in  the  case 
of  a  more  modern  believer.  Under  an  unusual  pres- 
sure of  a  spirit  of  supplication,  John  Welsh  used  to 
rise  at  midnight  to  go  and  pour  out  his  heart  before 
God.  Retiring  to  the  garden,  he  would  sometimes 
spend  most  of  the  night  in  that  exercise ;  a  thing  so 
frequent  with  him  that  he  used  to  wonder  how  a 
Christian  could  remain  on  his  couch  all  night,  without 
rising  to  spend  a  season  in  prayer  and  praise.  Look 
at  the  picture  of  an  aged  minister,^  no  longer  able  to 
do  anything  publicly  for  God  and  his  church ;  one  too 
who  could  scarcely  suffer  anything  more  for  the  honor 
of  either,  having  for  the  testimony  of  a  good  con- 
science relinquished  his  entire  stated  maintenance. 
He  gave  himself  wholly  to  prayer  for  the  church, 
spending  usually  three,  four,  or  five  hours,  and  some- 
times six  or  seven,  every  day  in  the  week. 

What  Christian  does  not  find  that  he  is  at  times 
moved  with  special  urgency  to  plead  for  others  ? 
Such  quickenings  of  the  Spirit  of  intercession  are  to 
be  heeded  ;  the  believer  should  avail  himself  of  the 
heavenly  impulse  to  seek  great  things  for  Zion.  When 
Ahasuerus  says  to  Esther,  "  What  is  thy  petition,  it 
shall  be  granted  thee,"  then  is  the  time  to  plead  for 
the  life  of  her  people. 

Intercessory  cries,  however,  should  daily  ascend  to 
the  God  of  Sabaoth.     Amidst  the  utmost  urgencies 

1  Samuel  Fairclough. 


PRAYER     FOR     BELIEVERS.  295 

of  business,  may  ejaculations  be  darted  up,  without 
hindrance  upon  the  sight  or  thought  of  a  Christian 
friend.     These  Httle  momentary  prayers 

"  Form  the  links  of  an  electric  chain, 
That  join  the  orisons  of  morn  and  eve, 
And  propagate  through  all  its  several  parts. 
While  kept  continuous,  the  ethereal  fire." 

Such  a  habit  expands  and  liberalizes  the  heart.  It 
does  this  not  in  the  way  of  rendering  one  more  tole- 
rant of  error  but  more  charitable  to  souls.  Alas  for 
the  strength  of  remaining  selfishness,  the  undying 
antagonist  to  all  that  is  high  and  holy,  to  all  the  benev- 
olent forthputting  of  implanted  grace  !  Many  a  pro- 
fessing Christian  is  there  whose  charity  begins  at 
home  and  ends  there  too ;  whose  sympathies  shiver  at 
the  thought  of  crossing  his  own  threshold,  and  so 
through  the  Avhole  winter  of  life  he  crowds  around  his 
own  narrow  hearth-stone. 

"  With  lips  depressed  as  he  were  meek. 
Himself  unto  himself  he  sold; 
Upon  himself,  himself  did  feed; 
Quiet,  passionate,  and  cold." 

It  is  possible  for  a  whole  church  to  lapse  into  this 
state  of  isolation,  becoming  an  ecclesiastical  China,  the 
vernacular  name  of  Avhich,  as  well  as  its  character  and 
policy,  is  All-ioithin.  If  uniformly  and  needlessly 
absent  from  the  place  where  Christ  has  engaged  to 
meet  them,  whether  for  prayer  and  conference  among 
themselves,  or  in  behalf  of  his  churches  and  laborers 
in  other  lands,  what  can  they  reasonably  expect  but  a 
torpor  of  religious  affections?  We  stand  under  cove- 
nant engagements  which  claim  our  warmest  sympa- 


296  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

thies.  It  should  be  between  such,  as  between  harp- 
strings  that  are  tuned  in  unison :  if  one  be  struck,  the 
others  tremble. 

Intercession  reacts  happily  in  promoting  fraternal 
attachment  and  a  holy  expansion  of  soul.  Who  does 
not  fmd  that  in  pleading  with  Christ  for  all  believing 
brethren,  his  love  to  them  and  to  Him  becomes  more 
fervent?  Who  would  not  then  say  with  Rutherford, 
"  Oh  that  Christ  would  break  down  the  old  narrow  ves- 
sels of  these  narrow  and  ebb  souls,  and  make  fair, 
deep,  wide,  and  broad  souls,  to  hold  a  sea  and  a  full 
tide,  flowing  over  all  its  banks,  of  Christ's  love  ! " 

"  Since  I  began  the  practice,''  says  Co:  ion  Mather  in 
his  Diary,  "  I  have  constantly  maintaincl  it,  of  spend- 
ing the  best  part  of  An  hour  every  Tue-day  morning, 
prostrate  in  the  dust  before  the  Lord,  with  cries  unto 
him  in  behalf  of  his  church  in  the  sever..!  parts  of  the 
world,  especially  our  ovv'n  depraved  :.nd  betrayed 
nation.  In  this  action  I  have  enjoyecT  an  unspeakable 
communion  with  heaven,  and  a  comfort. jle  assurance 
of  my  being  a  member  of  that  body  whereof  my 
blessed  Jesus  is  the  head !  and  it  has  lef:  a  sweet  im- 
pression on  my  mind,  and  a  sensible  improvement  in 
piety  has  been  the  consequence  of  it.  Sometimes,  and 
very  particularly  this  morning,  I  have  had  my  mind 
mightily  enlightened  in  begging  of  the  glorious  Lord, 
that  he  would  not  utterly  cast  off  his  poor  creature, 
man ;  but  visit  mankind,  and  by  his  Hcly  Spirit  pos- 
sess and  enlighten  and  purify  vast  nuLibers  among 
the  children  of  men,  and  render  the  world  like  a 
watered  garden,  by  mighty  effusions  from  the  river  of 
God   upon   it.      I   pleaded   that   his   kind    intentions 


PRAYER     FOR     BELIEVERS.  297 

toward  mankind  have  been  in  an  astonisliing  manner 
signalized  in  his  uniting  a  man  unto  his  own  sacred 
person,  advancing  a  man  unto  the  matchless  dignity  of 
the  hypostatical  union.  There  has  also  been  a  signal 
and  wondrous  intimation  of  those  kind  intentions,  in 
what  the  Holy  Spirit  has  done  for  a  few  that  have 
been  singled  out  from  the  ruins  of  the  human  race, 
and  been  made  the  children  of  God,  and  beautiful  tem- 
ples in  which  he  has  chosen  to  dwell  forever.  I  am 
filled  -with  unutterable  groans  for  the  day  to  come  on, 
when  mankind  shall  more  generally  see  and  become 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

What  a  privilege  to  be  w^ithin  the  range  of  so  much 
intercession !  How  many  there  are  in  the  almost 
countless  evangelical  churches  of  Christendom,  who 
daily  pray  for  all  saints  on  earth !  From  how  many 
different  denominations,  and  in  how  many  different  lan- 
guages are  there  going  up  constant  petitions  for  all 
who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  while  lie,  the  Great 
High  Priest,  who  presents  this  volume  of  incense  from 
many  lands,  is  himself  pleading  for  every  individual 
suppliant.  Day  after  day,  and  year  after  year,  thou- 
sands of  hearts  here,  and  the  Heart  of  hearts  in  lieav- 
en  are  moved  in  behalf  of  all  living  saints  on  earth ! 
Who  would  exchange  this  privilege,  and  the  benefits 
thus  accruing,  for  any  gold  mine,  or  throne  on  the 
globe  ? 

Is  it  delightliil  to  see  a  faithful  brother  or  sister, 
moving  about  benignantly  and  porseveringly  among 
the  sick,  the  needy,  the  distressed,  ministering  com- 
fort and  sympathy?  The  outward  eye  witnesses  no 
fairer  sight  iu  this  world;  but  there  is   a  spectacle 


298  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

within  the  unseen  sphere  of  supplication,  on  which 
angels  gaze  with  an  intense  interest,  —  the  spectacle 
of  those  devout  believers  who  pray  P.vays  with  all 
prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  a  itching  there- 
unto with  all  perseverance  and  supr  ;  nation  for  all 
saints. 

in.    PKAYER   FOR   PASTORS. 

Repeated  reference  has  been  made  to  the  unrivalled 
character  of  Paul,  in  whose  career  there  is  nothing 
more  noteworthy  than  the  earnestness  and  frequency 
with  which  he  pours  out  his  soul  in  bt  jalf  of  partic- 
ular churches  and  individuals. 

Along  with  this  is  the  scarcely  less  noticeable, 
though  less  noticed  fact  that  he  often  requests  a  re- 
membrance in  the  intercession  of  friends.  The  one 
who  prays  abundantly  for  others  has  a  j  iglit  to  ask  an 
interest  in  their  prayers,  as  Paul  does  in  his  Epistle  to 
the  Romans,  in  his  second  to  the  Corinthians,  and  to 
the  Thessalonians.^  To  the  Christians  at  Philippi,  he 
expresses  himself  confident  of  the  eiSicacy  of  their  pe- 
titions for  him.  To  the  Hebrews  he  T7rites  :  "  Pray 
for  us ;  ■'  while  also  in  his  first  letter  to  the  Thessalo- 
nians,  he  makes  the  general  request,  "  Brethren,  pray 
for  us." 

Such  are  the  notes,  asking  prayers,  that  he  was  ac- 
customed to  send  up,  not  to  fellow-apostles,  or  other 
preachers  engaged  in  the  public  functions  of  their 
office,  but  to  humble  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  scattered 
here  and  there,  some  of  whom  he  had  never  seen,  and 

1  Rom.  XV.  30-33;  2  Cor.  i.  10, 11;  2  Thess.  iii.  1,  2. 


PRAYER     FOR     PASTORS.  299 

to  all  of  whom  he  stood  in  the  highest  earthly  relation, 
that  of  an  inspired  apostle.  These  requests,  it  should 
be  remembered,  vrere  from  the  man  having  such  fine 
natural  talents,  such  superior  training,  such  special 
gracious  endowments. 

Every  minister  needs  prayer  for  liimself  as  a  man 
and  a  Christian.  Like  others,  he  has  his  temptations 
and  fears ;  like  our  Lord,  he  is  set  upon  by  the  Arch- 
Adversary,  and  has  to  agonize  in  his  Gethsemane. 
Shall  not  his  church  watch  with  him  one  hour  ? 

Can  there  be  any  reasonable  expectation  that  pasto- 
ral duties  will  be  performed  acceptably  to  the  Master, 
if  his  headship  and  constant  inspection  be  not  recog- 
nized, if  pastor  and  people  do  not  meet  oftener  at  the 
throne  of  grace  than  elsewhere  ? 

The  first  duty  of  a  people  to  their  spiritual  guide  is 
affectionate  prayer  for  him.  If  that  primary  obligation 
be  discharged,  subordinate  ones  will  hardly  fail  to  be 
fulfilled ;  while  fidelity  in  all  other  duties  can  do  little 
to  atone  lor  the  want  of  that.  The  best  stipend  that 
can  be  bestowed  upon  a  minister  must  go  through 
other  hands  thcin  those  of  a  society's  treasurer. 

Much  is  said  in  these  days  about  the  ministry  we 
want.  Something  should  be  said  about  the  churches 
and  congregations  we  want.  There  are  wanted 
churches  that  continue  steadfast  in  the  apostles'  doc- 
trine and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
prayer ;  churches  that  esteem  the  responsibility  of 
hearing  not  inferior  to  that  of  preaching ;  churches 
alive  to  the  liigh  claims  of  practical  godliness,  of 
neighborhood  evangelism,  and  of  earnest,  persistent 
aggression  upon  the  whole  domain  of  sin  and  Satan 
from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other. 


300  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

When  our  Lord  grants  an  ascension-gift  in  the  per- 
son of  a  spiritual  teacher,  he  gives  one  made  by  him- 
self; for  who  but  the  Creator  of  all  things  can  make  a 
minister  ?  Still,  it  is  a  gift  not  completed.  Whatever 
of  promise  there  may  be  in  him,  his  character  as  a 
pastor,  if  still  a  young  man,  is  yet  to  be  formed,  and 
formed  not  as  an  isolated  person,  not  merely  by  carry- 
ing out  suggestions  made  to  him  when  ordained,  and 
at  other  times,  and  from  other  sources,  but  in  concur- 
rence with  his  people,  and  under  a  reciprocating  influ- 
ence. The  Holy  Ghost  can  make  him  what  he  pleases 
in  that  university  where  the  young  man  is  to  preside, 
indeed,  but  which  in  turn,  will  inevitably  mould  and 
fashion  him.  Over  and  above  the  assimilating  influ- 
ence of  intimate  relations,  there  may  be  a  special  and 
most  potent  energy  visiting  him  in  answer  to  their 
supplications.  The  electric  chain  from  the  pew  to  the 
pulpit  does  not  stop  there  ;  it  passes  on  to  the  mercy- 
seat  above.  He  who  dwelleth  between  the  Cherubim 
saith,  ^'  Be  it  unto  you  as  ye  will ;  your  minister  shall 
become  what  you  ask,  if  you  only  wish  him  to  be  what 
I  would  have  him." 

Particular  churches  are  schools  of  the  prophets, 
where  they  are  resident  graduates,  and  where  profes- 
sional education  is  carried  on.  Prayerfulness  on  the 
part  of  a  people  will  make  a  praying  pastor.  If  he  is 
not  a  devout  man,  alas  for  him  and  for  them  ! 

Whatever  else  may  be  said  in  regard  to  a  ministry 
for  the  times,  or  be  thought  respectively  of  the  public 
and  private  method  of  preparation,  of  this  seminary 
or  that  seminary;  whatever  opinion  may  be  enter- 
tained  relative  to  general  deterioration  or  improve- 


PRAYER     FOR     PASTORS.  301 

ment  in  doctriDal  soundness  and  clerical  character, 
there  is  no  doubt  a  summons  in  the  Word  and  the  * 
providence  of  God,  that  they  should  more  earnestly 
give  themselves  to  prayer.  "  I  have  set  watchmen 
upon  thy  walls,  0  Jerusalem,  which  sMl  never  hold 
their  peace  day  nor  night ;  ye  that  make  mention  of 
the  Lord  keep  not  silence,  and  give  him  no  rest  till  he 
establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the 
earth."  What  dying  minister  ever  deemed  the  time 
thus  spent  by  him  excessive  ?  Not  the  pious  Henry, 
who  said,  toward  the  end  of  life,  "  Were  I  to  enjoy 
Hezekiah's  grant,  and  have  fifteen  years  added  to  my 
days,  I  would  be  much  more  frequent  in  my  supplica- 
tions at  a  throne  of  grace.  We  sustain  a  mighty  loss 
by  reading  so  much,  and  praying  so  little." 

If,  at  the  outset  and  onward,  it  is  a  leading  desire 
with  a  people  that  an  admiring  crowd  should  be  drawn 
to  their  place  of  worship,  a  place  for  the  worship  of 
the  preacher  as  well  as  his  Master;  if  they  would  have 
oxen  and  garlands  brought  to  the  gates  of  the  city  ;  if 
they  would  have  beautiful  things  and  smooth  things 
prophesied ;  if  they  would  have  opiate  divinity,  and 
would  move  on  respectably  and  comfortably  in  the 
broad  way,  they  may  expect  to  be  gratified.  If  their 
taste  and  moral  sense  sink  so  low  as  to  allow  of  their 
tolerating  a  pulpit  actor,  they  have  only  to  restrain 
prayer,  and  God  will  be  likely  to  let  them  have  one 
capable  of  such  things  ;  their  pulpit  will  be  trans- 
formed into  a  platform,  and  the  house  of  God  into  a 
house  of  man. 

True,  there  is  correlative  responsibility  on  the 
preacher's  part.     The  obligation  rests  on  him  for  his 

26 


302  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

full  development  as  a  minister,  and  there  is  a  woe  unto 
Lim  if  he  handle  the  Y/ord  of  God  deceitfully,  if  he 
do  not  preach  Christ  crucified  in  all  plainness,  and  do 
not  watch  for  souls  as  one  that  must  give  account. 
The  devotional  or  other  defects  of  a  congregation  will 
not  stand  him  in  stead  at  the  final  bar.  But  the  pastor 
has  a  right  to  expect  that  a  people  will  wish  to  have 
him  seek  nut  their  admiration,  but  their  salvation ;  that 
they  will  cooperate  to  that  end  in  making  him  emi- 
nently a  man  of  God  ;  that  their  prayers  shall  supply 
the  buoyant  atmosphere  and  wings  to  his  soul  where- 
with he  shall  rise  to  heaven  !  Whenever  a  preacher 
presents  himself  in  the  sacred  desk,  those  before 
him  have  a  right  to  assume  that  he  comes  from  the 
audience-chamber  of  the  Great  King ;  that  his  heart 
is  aglow  with  holy  thoughts.  Alas  that  such  a  heart 
should  be  chilled  by  finding  the  air  of  the  sanctuary 
at  a  lower  temperature  !  His  appearing  in  the  pulpit 
is  a  silent  challenge,  like  the  audible  one  of  early 
times  in  the  churches,  sursum  corda^  Up  with  your 
hearts  !  All  the  warmth  of  pious  love,  faith,  and  hope, 
in  a  congregation,  should  go  forth  in  holy  breathings 
that  envelop  and  refresh  his  soul  like  choicest  per- 
fumes. According  as  the  tide  of  their  devotion  ebbs 
or  flows  will  his  heart  sink  or  rise. 

Perhaps  no  man  fit  for  the  place  ever  entered  the 
pulpit  without  trepidation.  What  hallowed  compos- 
ure, what  ease  and  unction  does  it  impart  to  him,  if 
he  finds  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  like  tjie 
Lord's  host  encamping  round  about  him,  as  angels  min- 
istering tenderly  to  him,  and  strengthening  him  1 
Whatever  the  theory  or  practice  may  be  in  regard  to 


PRAYER     FOR     PASTORS.  303 

congregational  singing,  there  ought  to  be  no  difference 
of  views  about  congregational  praying. 

The  minister  should  be  devoutly  remembered  else- 
where, as  well  as  in  the  sanctuary.  A  place  should 
be  assigned  to  him  habitually  at  the  household  altar, 
and  in  the  hour  of  prayerful  retirement.  Every  sight 
of  him  in  the  street  should  be  the  signal  for  at  least 
the  ejaculation,  God  bless  him.  When  blemishes  are 
noticed,  how  much  better  to  go  to  God  with  them 
than  to  one's  neighbor,  or  to  discuss  them  around  the 
table. 

Who  is  the  best  parishioner?  Not  the  one  most 
cordial  in  his  greeting,  most  respectful  in  his  bearing, 
most  cheerful  in  his  pecuniary  portion  of  support ; 
but  the  one  who  daily  and  earnestly  commends  his 
pastor  to  the  God  of  all  grace ;  who  never  sees  him 
pass  up  the  aisle,  or  rise  in  the  pulpit  without  breath- 
ing a  devout  ejaculation  for  him.  Such  are  the  Aarons 
and  Hurs  of  the  Lord's  host. 

It  is  sometimes  right  for  a  church  to  pray  all  night 
for  a  minister.  It  was  done  for  Peter ;  and  whenever 
such  a  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplications  is  poured 
upon  the  churches,  then  are  pentecostal  scenes  wit- 
nessed. What  were  the  antecedents  of  that  wonder- 
ful outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  the  famous  com- 
munion season  in  Lanarkshire,  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years  ago  ?  How  shall  we  account  for  it,  that 
the  immediate  fruits  of  one  sermon,  and  that  by  an 
unordained  man,  were  the  hopeful  conversion  of  five 
hundred  souls?  Prayer  had  been  offered.  Devout 
behevers,  assembled  at  Sliotts,  had  spent  the  previous 
night   in  supplication  for  the  young  preacher,  John 


304  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

Livingstone.  Christ's  blessing  can  at  any  time  make 
the  lad's  two  barley  loaves  and  five  small  fishes  feed 
five  thousand  men  besides  women  and  children. 

Intercession  for  a  pastor  is  among  the  most  remu- 
nerative kinds  of  prayer  that  can  be  offered.  It  will 
return  with  ample  blessings  to  the  souls  of  those  who 
engage  in  it.  People  and  pastor  go  on  the  same 
errand  to  the  same  place,  to  the  One  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  the  views  and  wants  of  each,  and  who 
has  brought  the  parties  into  this  sacred  relation  for 
the  express  purpose  that  reciprocal  benefits  may  be 
enjoyed.  How  are  both  delighted  to  find  providential 
adaptations  and  coincidences  !  they  bringing  away 
from  the  throne  a  grant  made  out  in  fall,  and  he  meet- 
ing them  in  the  sanctuary  with  the  very  signet-ring 
of  Him  who  signed  and  sealed  the  grant.  What  a 
word  in  season  do  they  have,  on  asking  the  Lord  to 
send  one  by  him !  Entering  the  Lord's  courts  with 
wounded  consciences  and  bleeding  hearts,  they  find 
the  Balm  of  Gilead  has  been  sent  there  already  by  the 
Great  Physician.  AVith  full  fidelity  on  their  part, 
there  w^ill  never  be  a  poor  or  an  unseasonable  sermon 
from  him.  Their  own  souls  shall  be  as  a  watered  gar- 
den ;  on  them  will  fall  the  dew  that  descendeth  upon 
the  mountains  of  Zion,  for  there  the  Lord  commands 
the  blessing,  even  life  for  evermore. 


PRAYER     FOR     CHILDREN.  305 


IV.    PRAYER   FOR   CHILDREN. 

Parent  and  child  !  What  human  relation  so  mo- 
mentous !  "What  tie  so  intimate  !  What  a^'ection  so 
universally  strong  and  lasting !  No  other  attachment 
impels  to  deeds  so  heroic,  and  to  language  so  touch- 
ing, or  makes  itself  so  widely  felt  in  human  society. 
Children  are  hostages  to  the  God  of  Abraham  and  the 
God  of  nations.  By  every  child,  the  parent  is  laid 
under  bonds,  heavier  than  the  highest  ransom  ever 
paid  by  man  for  man,  to  observe  all  laws,  human  and 
divine.  The  child  is  one's-self  transplanted.  In  the 
child,  the  parent  outlives  himself,  and  onward,  from 
generation  to  generation,  is  to  have  a  memorial  on 
earth. 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  great  aim  of  every 
parent  should  be  to  train  the  child  for  the  most  effi- 
cient service  of  God  here  and  hereafter ;  that  nothing 
short  of  early  conversion  and  subsequent  growth  in 
grace  to  the  highest  degree,  may  be  thought  of;  that 
any  system  of  education  which  does  not  proceed  upon 
the  acknowledged  principle  of  complete  dedication  to 
God  is  just  as  unscriptural  and  defective  as  the  pro- 
fessed piety  in  which  there  are  selfish  reservations. 
So  far  as  instrumentality  can  go  in  effecting  it,  parents 
are  bound  to  see  to  it  that  their  children  become  chil- 
dren of  God,  rich  in  faith  and  in  holy  living. 

Here,  if  anywhere,  is  prayer  demanded.  No  sooner 
has  a  helpless  immortal  been  ushered  into  the  world 
than  it  should  be  acknowledged  as  the  Lord's.  God  has 
breathed  into  that  tender  framework  the  breath  of  life, 

26* 


306  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

and  there  is  a  living  soul  which  shall  survive  the  pa- 
ternal home  where  the  little  stranger  has  made  its  ap- 
pearance, yes,  the  great  tabernacle  of  this  world, 
where  dwell  the  family  of  man  from  age  to  age. 
How  many-  hours  it  is  to  remain  here,  who  can  tell  ? 
Then  let  prayer  to  the  Father  of  spirits  be  its  wel- 
come. The  parents  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Finley,  soon  after 
the  birth  of  each  child,  were  accustomed  to  set  apart 
a  day  for  prayer  that  it  might  be  an  heir  of  eternal 
life.  They  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  their  eight 
children,  seven  of  whom  were  sons,  distinguished  for 
piety  in  youth,  and  growing  in  grace  as  age  increased. 

As  months  and  years  pass,  it  should  be  with  a  con- 
firmed habit  of  supplication  for  the  child,  fast  ripening 
to  the  period  of  mature  responsibility.  Each  birth- 
day, each  New  Year's  day,  and  every  important  anni- 
versary, as  it  occurs,  should  be  devoutly  improved,  in 
addition  to  the  more  frequent  and  stated  times  for  pa- 
rental prayer.  Often  as  the  child  leaves  home  for 
school,  for  a  visit  or  other  purposes,  and  in  returning 
from  the  same,  let  the  heart  rise  to  God  in  his  behalf. 

To  a  father  or  mother,  watchful  for  such  seasons, 
there  will  occur  on  the  Sabbath,  and  at  other  times, 
opportunities  peculiarly  favorable  for  a  serious  and  im- 
pressive inculcation  of  divine  truth,  and  for  earnest 
appeal  to  the  throne  of  grace.  With  what  familiarity 
and  plainness  can  a  parent  then  address  the  mind  of  a 
listening  child,  or  the  whole  parlor  auditory !  Often 
will  happy  moments  be  found  for  setting  home  the  all- 
important  lessons  of  heavenly  wisdom,  and  for  secur- 
ing a  blessing  from  the  Father  of  mercies.  Those 
favorable  junctures,  those  Sabbath  hours  in  a  child's 


PRAYER     FOR     CHILDREN.  307 

soul,  —  how  can  any  one  fail  to  improve  such  genial 
seasons  for  sowing  the  good  seed,  and  for  calling  down 
the  dews  and  rains  of  heaven  upon  it ! 

Praying  habitually  with  children  is  indirectly  the 
most  powerful  of  all  means  for  their  conversion.  What 
can  so  reasonably  be  expected  to  impress  the  tender 
heart,  as  warm,  familiar  supplications  by  a  father  or 
mother  kneeling  beside  the  child  ?  Cotton  Mather 
says,  "  When  the  children  are  of  a  suitable  age  for  it, 
I  will  sometimes  have  them  with  me  alone,  and  con- 
verso  with  them  about  the  state  of  their  souls,  and 
then  pray  Avith  them,  earnestly  entreating  that  the 
Lord  would  bestow  his  grace  upon  them,  and  thus 
make  them  Avitnesses  of  the  agony  with  which  I  am 
travaihng  to  see  the  image  of  Christ  formed  in  them." 
To  have  the  susceptible  minds  of  our  children  im- 
bathed  thus  in  the  atmosphere  of  heaven,  —  what  is 
there  so  delightful,  so  hopeful  to  contemplate  !  The 
biography  of  the  church  is  crowded  with  illustrations 
of  the  power  of  such  influence. 

Listening  to  the  fervent  prayers  of  Richard  Knill, 
for  parents  and  children,  and  his  earnest  appeals  to 
them  some  years  ago  in  Chester,  England,  the  writer 
was  led  to  inquire  whether  that  devout  man  did  not 
enjoy  peculiar  favors  in  pious  nurture.  His  own  an- 
swer is,  "  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  effects  of 
maternal  influence.  My  honored  mother  was  a  reli- 
gious woman,  and  she  watched  over  and  instructed  me 
as  pious  mothers  are  accustomed  to  do.  Alas  !  I  often 
forgot  her  admonitions ;  but  in  my  most  thoughtless 
days  I  never  lost  the  impressions  which  her  holy  ex- 
ample had  made  on  my  mind.     After  spending  a  large 


308  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

portion  of  my  life  in  foreign  lands,  I  returned  again  to 
visit  my  native  village.  At  night  I  was  accommodated 
with  the  same  bed  in  which  I  had  often  slept  before  ; 
but  my  busy  thoughts  would  not  let  me  sleep.  I  was 
thinking  how  God  had  led  me  through  the  journey  of 
life.  At  last,  the  light  of  the  morning  darted  through 
the  little  window,  and  then  my  eye  caught  sight  of 
the  spot  where  my  sainted  mother,  forty  years  before, 
took  my  hand,  and  said,  '  Come,  my  dear,  kneel  down 
with  me,  and  I  will  go  to  prayer.'  This  completely 
overcame  me.  I  seemed  to  hear  the  very  tones  of  her 
voice.  I  recollected  some  of  her  expressions,  and  I 
burst  into  tears,  arose  from  my  bed,  and  fell  upon  my 
knees,  just  on  the  spot  where  my  mother  kneeled,  and 
thanked  God  that  I  had  a  praying  mother.  And  oh ! 
if  every  parent  could  feel  what  I  felt  then,  I  am  sure 
they  would  pray  with  their  children  as  well  as  for 
them."  He  has  since  rested  from  his  labors,  —  labors 
under  which,  it  is  said,  more  than  one  hundred  were 
converted  who  became  ministers,  most  of  whom  now 
occupy  pulpits,  or  are  engaged  in  the  missionary  work. 
The  tracts  written  by  him  have  a  larger  circulation 
than  those  of  any  other  man,  more  than  six  millions  of 
them  having  been  printed  in  England,  and  more  than 
seven  millions  in  the  United  States ;  while  some  of 
them  have  been  translated  in  ten  different  languages. 
What  a  harvest  from  a  mother's  prayers  ! 

Dr.  Doddridge  resolved,  —  would  that  all  parents 
might  so  resolve  !  —  "As  a  father,  it  shall  be  my  care 
to  intercede  for  my  children  daily ;  to  converse  with 
them  often  upon  some  religious  subject ;  to  drop  some 
short  hints  of  the  serious  kind  when  there  is  not  room 


PRATER     FOR     COLLEGES.  309 

for  large  discourse  ;  to  pray  sometimes  with  them  sep- 
arately ;  to  endeavor  to  bring  them  early  to  the  com- 
munion of  the  church." 

With  how  much  earnestness  should  these  petitions 
go  up  to  the  Mercy-Seat  I  What  parent,  reflecting  for 
a  moment  on  the  condition  and  prospects  of  an  uncon- 
verted child,  will  not  be  impelled  to  the  most  intense 
entreaties!  '^ Arise,  cry  out  in  the  night;  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  watches  pour  out  thy  heart  like  water 
before  the  face  of  the  Lord ;  lift  up  thine  hands  toward 
him  for  the  life  of  thy  young  children." 

Here,  too,  as  in  other  departments  of  intercessor}^ 
prayer,  the  reflex  influence  is  of  great  importance. 
Often  do  fathers  and  mothers  find  themselves  tempted 
to  relax  their  steady  pursuit  of  the  highest  aim  in 
training  children.  Often  are  they  tempted  to  yield  to 
the  seductive  influence  of  parental  ambition,  and  to 
tolerate  amusements  and  companionship  that  are  ques- 
tionable, or  are  known  to  be  pernicious.  What  will 
bring  such  a  corrective  and  fortifying  power  as  habit- 
ual prayer  for  one's  ofi'spring  ? 


V.    PRAYER   FOR   COLLEGES. 

Our  broad,  national  domain  lifts  up  her  hands,  cry- 
ing, Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest !  Whole  conti- 
nents, and  many  an  island  of  the  sea,  waving  for  the 
sickle,  send  over  their  cry,  like  the  voice  of  many 
waters.  Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest !  As  eigh- 
teen hundred  years  ago  on  earth,  so  to-day  in  glory, 
our  gracious  Lord,  seeing  the  multitudes,  is  moved 


310  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

with  compassion  on  them  because  they  faint,  and  are 
scattered  abroad  like  sheep  having  no  shepherd ;  and 
he  saith  to  his  disciples,  Pray  ye,  therefore,  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest  that  he  will  send  forth  laborers  into  his 
harvest. 

Most  of  the  colleges  in  our  land  were  founded  in 
prayer,  and  mainly  with  a  view  to  train  up  men  for  the 
ministry.  In  1643,  our  provident  fathers  said,  "After 
God  had  carried  us  safe  to  Noav  England,  and  we  had 
builded  our  house,  provided  necessaries  for  our  liveli- 
hood, reared  convenient  places  for  God's  worship,  and 
settled  the  civil  government,  one  of  the  next  things 
we  longed  for  and  looked  after,  was  to  advance  learn- 
ing, and  perpetuate  it  to  posterity,  dreading  to  leave 
an  illiterate  ministry  to  the  churches  after  our  present 
ministry  shall  be  in  the  dust."  A  historian  of  Har- 
vard College  notices  the  remarkable  fact  that  such  a 
literary  institution,  founded  for  the  instruction  of  a 
whole  people  in  general  science,  should  have  been 
fram  the  first  spoken  of,  lauded,  and  conducted,  as 
though  it  had  been  a  theological  seminary,  destined 
exclusively  for  the  benefit  of  one  order  of  men.  The 
same  has  been  true  substantially  of  the  later  colleges 
in  New  England,  as  it  is  of  similar  institutions  which 
have  sprung  up  in  the  Middle  States  and  at  the 
West. 

"We  have  not,  as  a  general  thing,  to  grapple  with 
difficulties  almost  insurmountable  when  we  direct  our 
interest  to  these  seats  of  science  ;  we  have  not  to  draw 
them  away  from  their  original  design,  to  seek  the  intro- 
duction of  a  new  element ;  they  were  given  to  the  tri- 
une God  in  their  infancy.     His  covenant  is  with  them, 


PRAYER     FOR     COLLEGES.  311 

and  the  primal  intent  of  pious  founders,  with  their 
prayers  and  alms,  comes  up  in  remembrance  before 
him.  The  earnest,  original  thought,  which  gives  being 
and  form  to  an  enterprise,  never  wholly  loses  its  vital- 
ity. It  Vv^ill  not  entirely  vanish  until  the  dissolution  of 
the  body  which  it  has  animated.  Here  is  a  mighty 
argument  with  which  we  may  approach  the  throne 
when  praying  the  Lord  that  he  would  send  forth  labor- 
ers into  the  harvest.  We  may  plead  his  faithfulness, 
his  peculiar  glory,  as  we  thus  entreat  him. 

To  a  large  extent  our  colleges  are  officered  by  men 
who  have  themselves  entered  the  Christian  ministry, 
and  have  a  religious  solicitude  in  some  measure  kin- 
dred to  that  of  the  pious  founders.  We  rely  upon 
cooperation  with  our  prayers.  How  different  this  from 
the  condition  of  things  in  the  German  and  some  other 
European  universities,  within  which  the  voice  of 
prayer  is,  perhaps,  never  heard,  and  an  evangelical  in- 
fluence found  only  in  feeble  measure  ! 

The  situation  of  young  men  in  institutions  of  this 
kind  is  in  many  respects  favorable  to  their  spiritual 
interests.  True,  the  ingenuity  and  facilities  for  mis- 
chief are  often  great;  there  is  always  a  degree  of  haz- 
ard, and  wreck  of  character  is  no  unfrequent  thing. 
Yet,  in  such  cases  there  is,  probably,  always  an  evil 
and  a  defect  lying  further  back.  Colleges  are  not 
to  be  made  responsible  for  parental  neglect  and  the 
corrupting  influences  of  previous  bad  companionship. 
Was  the  iiiiidelity  in  Yale  College,  at  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  anything  peculiar  to  that  institution  ?  It 
has  been  stated  that,  from  the  year  1796  to  1801,  there 
were  only  three  individuals  in  the  city  of  New  Haven, 


312  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

tinder  twenty-five  years  of  age,  who  were  churcli-mem- 
bers.     The  college  was  only  an  index  of  the  country. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  those  congregated 
at  seats  of  learning  come  together  at  an  age,  and 
under  circumstances,  favorable,  on  the  whole,  for  pav- 
ing impressions,  if  appropriate  influences  bear  upon 
them.  They  forr^i  a  community  exceedingly  compact, 
socialties  and  sympathies  having  peculiar  strength. 
A  single  serious  mind  can  hardly  exist  among  them 
without  being  known  and  felt ;  a  single  conversion  will 
often  electrify  the  whole. 

This  is  a  class  very  much  withdrawn  by  their  loca- 
tion and  habits  from  the  general  eye,  and  hence  some- 
what naturally  from  the  prayerful  remembrance  of  our 
churches.  These  institutions  have  increased  for  the 
last  hundred  years  at  the  rate  of  m.ore  than  one  annu- 
ally, and  during  the  present  century  at  a  much  higher 
rate.  Side  by  side  with  almost  any  church  edifice  erect 
twenty  or  thirty  others  of  the  same  dimensions,  and 
in  them  congregate  the  college-students  of  our  land ; 
they  would  occupy  all  the  seats.  What  assemblages  ! 
What  hopes  and  aims  inspire  those  youthful  breasts  1 
What  a  future  lies  in  the  seeds  of  knowledge,  and  the 
elements  of  character  now  accumulating !  What  cen- 
tres of  influence  will  those  twenty  thousand  minds  be! 
Their  biographies  may  be  read  in  the  ten  thousand 
public  prints  of  the  remainder  of  this  century,  and 
pregnant  will  be  those  chapters  in  the  general  history 
of  our  globe. 

Into  any  such  sanctuary  gather  the  instructors  of 
these  institutions,  a  thousand  men.  It  gives  a  crowded 
liouse ;  a  house  containing  talent,  scholarship,  and  in- 


PRAYER     FOR     COLLEGES.  313 

fluence,  such  as  constitute  a  truly  august  body.  They 
are  the  prime  educators,  the  silent  legislators,  of  our 
country. 

To  the  young  men  thus  congregated,  who  are  in  a 
considerable  measure  isolated  from  the  common  life 
and  observation  of  the  land,  there  should  be  directed 
a  more  earnest  Christian  regard.  To  them  must  we 
look  mainly  for  present  required  reinforcements  to  the 
ministry. 

There  is  an  advantage  in  bringing  before  our  minds 
precisely  such  a  class,  —  a  class  distinctly  defined,  sep- 
arately assembled,  homogeneous,  and  rapidly  approach- 
ing their  professional  course,  which,  once  adopted,  is 
not  often  abandoned.  The  salvation  of  so  many  indi- 
viduals, apart  from  all  thought  of  their  position  in  the 
world,  might  well  move  the  general  heart ;  but  when 
we  consider  what  power  educated  intellects  carry  with 
them ;  that  the  influential  positions  in  the  land  are  to 
be  filled  chiefly  by  these  same  young  men,  we  begin 
to  realize  their  social  importance.  It  gains  upon  our 
thoughts  as  a  momentous  fact  that  the  education,  the 
jurisprudence,  the  literature,  the  manifold  application 
of  science  to  the  useful  arts,  wfll  soon  be  in  their 
hands. 

Thanks  for  the  many  revivals  in  these  institutions ! 
What  fruits  have  followed  from  some  of  them !  It  was 
at  one  such  in  Dartmouth  Coflege,  that  President 
Marsh,  Bishop  Chase,  and  Levi  Spaulding,  missionary 
at  Jaffna,  were  gathered  in.  During  a  similar  season 
at  Nassau  Hall  College,  1815,  there  were  thirty  con- 
verts, of  whom  were  Bishop  Johns,  of  Virginia,  Bishop 
Mcllvaine,  of  Ohio,  Dr.  Beattie  of  the  same  State,  Dr. 

27 


314  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

McGee,  of  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  Drs.  Hodge  and 
McLean  of  Princeton,  and  Dr.  Armstrong,  late  Secre- 
tary of  the  American  Board.  The  revival  of  1820  in 
Yale  College,  was  a  memorable  one.  During  the  prog- 
ress of  that  work  an  individual  remarked  to  a  fellow- 
student,  as  they  observed  one  of  their  number  passing 
by,  ^'  If  that  young  man  were  converted,  he  might  be 
another  Henry  Martyn.''  That  young  man  was  con- 
verted, and  became  a  missionary,  the  late  Dr.  Eli 
Smith  of  the  Syria  Mission.  Who  can  tell  what  a  fu- 
ture of  blessed  labor  and  hallowed  influence  on  earth 
there  is  in  the  habitual  supplications  for  colleges,  and 
in  the  prayers  of  that  day  set  apart  annually  for  this 
purpose ! 

It  would  not  be  inappropriate  to  take  a  survey  of 
our  professional  institutions ;  and  also  of  our  acade- 
mies and  other  schools,  public  and  private,  not  forget- 
ting naval  and  military  schools,  and  institutions  for  the 
deaf  and  dumb,  and  bespeak  prayerful  remembrance 
of  them  likewise  ;  but  there  is  a  present  urgency  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  the  number  of  theological  stu- 
dents has  long  been  decreasing.  The  deficiency  is 
one  which  cannot  be  suddenly  supplied,  and  must  be 
felt  for  3^ears.  The  young  men  of  our  colleges  may, 
with  the  blessing  and  by  the  call  of  God,  be  most 
readily  brought  forward  to  the  sacred  office. 

It  can  hardly  be  necessary,  in  a  connection  like  this, 
to  go  back  to  such  first  principles  as  that  the  ministry 
is  an  ordinance  of  our  Lord ;  that  it  is  the  chief  in- 
strumentality in  making  known  his  gospel,  and  by 
which  sinners  are  converted  to  God  and  educated  for 
heaven.     It  is  Christ's  main  legacy  to  a  darkened  race. 


PRAYER     FOR     COLLEGES.  315 

It  admits  of  no  substitute  ;  and  inadequacy  of  supply 
is  an  evil  to  be  lamented  more  than  any  other  deficit 
in  the  agencies  which  he  appoints. 

Such  being  the  high  importance  of  a  sufficiency  of 
accredited  ambassadors  of  Jesus,  men  supplied  b}^  him 
in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  church,  under  a  sense 
of  her  own  wants  and  the  wants  of  the  world,  —  this 
ought,  in  every  age,  to  be  a  distinct,  habitual  subject 
of  earnest  entreaty. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  more  than  usual  reason 
for  urging  the  duty.  The  rapid,  natural  increase  of 
our  population  and  the  remarkable  influx  of  immi- 
grants suggest  that  the  former  ratio  of  supply  in  the 
ministry  must  be  quite  inadequate.  On  the  one  hand, 
we  have  the  startling  fact  of  a  diminishing  supply  of 
ministers,  the  diminution  not  accidental  and  temporary, 
but  extending  through  a  series  of  years ;  on  the  other 
hand,  we  have  an  unprecedented  increase  of  popula- 
tion at  home,  and  of  opening  fields  abroad.  Never 
was  the  harvest  so  great ;  never  was  the  proportion 
of  laborers  so  small. 

The  pressure  of  the  case  coming  on  gradually  has 
not  been  widely  and  deeply  felt.  There  has  been  a 
noticeable  apathy ;  yet  it  would  seem  impossible  that 
it  should  much  longer  resist  the  inquiry.  Are  these 
things  so,  and  to  remain  so?  Considering  the  means 
taken  to  keep  the  churches  informed  respecting 
the  wants  of  our  land,  and  other  lands,  this  incredu- 
lous spirit  itself  indicates  the  reason.  It  is  the  lack 
of  holy  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Christ ;  an  encroaching 
worldliness  has  kept  the  community  here  contented 
with  its  own  privileges,  without  gratefully  cultivating 


316  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

a  broad,  benevolent  spirit,  eager  to  impart  the  good 
in  which  it  shares,  and  earnest  in  its  entreaties  that 
Christ  will  dispense  his  ascension  gifts  largely  through 
the  land  and  the  world.  Whatever  secondary  causes 
there  may  be,  this  doubtless  is  the  primary  one,  a  want 
of  proper  appreciation  of  the  high  worth  of  evangeli- 
cal truth  and  practical  godliness,  a  want  of  loyalty  to 
Him  who  has  bidden  us  go  and  disciple  all  nations. 
The  main  difficulty  now  is  not  so  much  a  defect  of  op- 
portunities, appliances,  or  funds,  for  reaching  the  desti- 
tute, near  and  afar  off,  as  men,  sanctified  men,  living, 
devoted  laborers  to  go  into  the  harvest-field.  It  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  young  men  will  manifest  a  piety 
above  the  average  of  that  in  the  churches,  and  break 
through  the  gilded  allurements  of  the  world,  to  enter  a 
self-denying  profession,  one  whicli  cannot  be  made  a 
sinecure,  and  which  yields  at  most  a  bare  competency 
of  support.  An  out-pouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  gener- 
ally, and  upon  Colleges  particularly,  at  the  present 
time,  would  be  likely  to  exhibit  itself  in  the  dedication 
of  children  to  this  work  by  parents,  and  the  obedience, 
in  larger  numbers,  of  young  men  to  the  special  call  of 
God's  providence  for  an  increase  of  earnest  reapers. 


VI.    PRAYER   FOR   COMMUNITIES. 

Will  prayer  in  national  calamities,  actual  or  threat- 
ened, avail  ?  Let  the  Word  and  providence  of  God 
reply.  Go  back  three  thousand  years  to  Egypt.  Hear 
Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  crying  to  God  for  de- 
liverance ;  and  then  see  them  go  forth  from  the  house 


PRAYER     FOR     COMMUNITIES.  317 

of  bondage,  and  pass  through  the  Red  Sea  as  on  dry 
land.  See  Moses,  lifting  his  hands,  supported  by  Aaron 
and  Hur,  till  Amalek  is  discomfited.  Did  not  his 
prayers  deliver  them  at  Sinai,  at  Taberah,  and  when 
fiery  serpents  were  among  them  ?  Why  were  not  the 
Vv'hole  people  consumed  upon  their  defeat  before  Ai? 
Because  Joshua  interceded  for  them.  Why  did  the 
five  confederate  kings  suffer  such  overthrow  in  the 
going  down  of  Beth-horon  ?  Because  Joshua  had 
prayed.  Whence  came  deliverance,  after  their  eight 
years'  servitude  under  the  king  of  Mesopotamia,  and 
the  twenty  years'  oppression  of  Jabin  ?  It  came  from 
the  Lord  in  answer  to  their  cries.  By  the  same 
method  were  they  relieved  from  the  oppression  of  the 
Midianites  and  the  Philistines.  Would  the  swords  of 
David  and  the  people  have  prevailed  at  the  Brook 
Bezor,  but  for  their  prayers  ?  Did  not  the  prayer  of 
Isaiah  send  back  the  blasphemous  Eabshakeh  and  the 
whole  Assyrian  host?  Zerah,  with  three  hundred 
chariots  and  a  thousand  thousand  Ethiopians,  came 
up  the  valley  of  Zephatha,  but  the  prayer  of  King 
Asa  routed  them.  Jehoshaphat  proclaimed  a  fast ;  all 
Judah  joined  him  in  prayer,  and  the  next  day  they 
sang  their  song  of  triumph  over  the  complete  discom* 
fiture  of  the  children  of  Moab,  and  the  children  of 
Ammon.  Esther,  Mordecai,  and  the  people  at  large, 
fast,  weep,  and  pray,  and  deliverance  comes.  Ezra 
proclaims  a  fast  at  the  River  Ahava,  and  the  Lord  is 
entreated  of  the  people.  Did  not  the  prayers  of  Ne- 
hemiah  bring  out  a  commission  from  Artaxerxes,  and 
afterwards  carry  up  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  in  the  face 
of  taunting  enemies  ? 

27* 


318  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

What  was  the  entire  history  of  the  Jewish  people 
for  fifteen  hnndred  years  but  a  series  of  depressions 
for  wickedness  and  of  deliverances  when  a  leader,  a 
king,  a  prophet,  or  the  people  as  a  whole,  humbled 
themselves  and  cried  unto  God  ? 

Modern  history  has  its  parallels.  While  the  Hol- 
landers, in  1672,  were  awaiting  an  attack  from  their 
enemies,  public  prayers  were  recommended.  By  a 
remarkable  course  of  the  tide,  the  hostile  troops  were 
prevented  from  landing,  and  a  storm  soon  drove  their 
ships  from  the  coast.  Did  not  the  breath  of  prayer  in 
the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  scatter  the  so-called  In- 
vincible Armada  ? 

Xew  England  has  many  a  memorial  of  answered 
supplications.  Quite  signal  was  that  of  1746,  when 
an  armament  of  forty  Frencli  ships-of-war  was  on  our 
coast.  A  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed ; 
at  once  the  tempest  scattered  them.  D'Anville,  the 
commander,  committed  suicide  ;  others  did  the  same ; 
and  culy  a  dispirited  remnant  found  their  way  back 
to  France.  At  other  periods  of  colonial  history,  when 
a  savage  foe  or  famine  was  at  the  door,  "  our  fathers 
trusted  in  thee,  0  God  ;  they  trusted  in  thee,  and 
thou  deliveredst  them."  What  Peniel  wrestlings  were 
there  during  our  war  of  the  Revolution !  Did  it  not 
please  our  heavenly  Father,  upon  the  requests  of  his 
people,  at  the  time  of  disputed  boundary  questions, 
with  other  complications,  to  avert  a  conflict  then  ap- 
parently imminent  ?  Has  he  not,  for  the  same  reason, 
at  different  times,  removed  pestilence  from  our  bor- 
ders ? 

The  nations  and  cities  that  forget  God  he  will  pluck 


PRAYEB     FOR     COMMUNITIES.  319 

up  and  destroy.  The  Assyrian,  Babylonian,  Macedo- 
nian, and  Roman  Empires,  were  overthrown  at  his  bid- 
ding. Thebes,  with  her  hundred  gates,  Babylon,  with 
her  massive  walls,  Tadmor  of  the  desert,  and  Jerusa- 
lem, the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  came  to  nouglit  by  his 
retributive  appointment.  No  deep  sagacity  of  cabi- 
nets, no  enlarged  policy  in  legislative  halls,  can  avail 
against  the  punitive  providence  of  the  King  of  kings. 
Often  does  God  employ  one  corrupt  nation  to  scourge 
another.  ^'  0  Assyria,  the  rod  of  mine  anger,  and  the 
staff  in  their  hand  is  mine  indignation."  When  the 
Assyrian  monarch  and  his  generals  blaspheme  the  God 
of  Israel,  Hezekiah  betakes  himself  to  prayer.  The 
same  night,  one  hundred  fourscore  and  live  thousand 
of  the  invaders  lie  dead  upon  the  field.  What  engine 
is  there  so  effective  against  an  enemy,  what  rampart 
so  high,  what  citadel  so  firm  for  a  community,  as  the 
prayers  of  God's  people  ? 

It  is  for  those  in  authority,  first  of  all,  that  prayers 
and  supplications  are  to  be  offered.  He  alone  in 
whose  hand  their  hearts  are  can  impart  requisite  wis- 
dom, guide  into  the  best  policy,  and  give  all  needed 
firmness.  The  early  Christians  obeyed  the  apostolic 
requirement  just  referred  to.  Chrysostom  says  that 
^^  all  communicants  knew  how  that  every  day,  both  at 
evening  and  morning,  they  made  supplications  for  all 
the  world,  for  the  emperor,  and  for  all  that  are  in 
authority."  In  spite  of  a  persecuting  hatred  to  Chris- 
tians, it  would  seem  that  some  of  the  Roman  emper- 
ors entertained  a  secret  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  their 
prayers.  When  Maximus  was  smitten  with  an  excru- 
ciating disease,  he  felt  that  it  was  a  judgment  for  his 


320  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

cruelties  to  the  Christians;  he  revoked  his  unrighteous 
edicts  against  them,  and,  caUing  them  from  their  caves 
and  deserts,  bade  them  pray  for  the  hfe  and  health  of 
their  prince. 

As  citizens  of  the  United  States,  we  are  called  upon 
to  remember  interpositions  of  that  providence  in  our 
behalf  One  instance  in  point,  besides  those  already 
cited,  is  often  referred  to.  In  the  convention  which 
framed  the  federal  Constitution,  a  diiference  had  arisen 
which  seemed  irreconcilable.  Franklin — and  he  not  a 
religious  man  —  arose,  and  proposed  a  recess  in  order 
that,  a  chaplain  being  called  in,  they  might  "  look,  by 
prayer,  to  the  great  Source  of  light  for  direction." 
The  motion  was  concurred  in.  Washington,  the  pres- 
ident of  the  assembly,  was  on  his  knees  during  the 
service.  Harmony  of  views  soon  prevailed,  and  a  new 
government  was  successfully  formed.  In  his  inaugural 
address  to  Congress,  Washington  employed  the  follow- 
ing language :  "  It  would  be  peculiarly  improper  to 
omit,  in  this  first  ofiicial  act,  m.y  fervent  supplication 
to  that  Almighty  Being  who  rules  over  the  universe, 
who  presides  in  the  councils  of  nations,  whose  aid  can 
supply  every  human  defect,  that  his  benediction  may 
consecrate  to  the  liberty  of  the  people  of  these  United 
States  a  government  instituted  by  themselves,  and 
may  enable  every  instrument  employed  in  its  admin- 
istration to  execute  with  success  the  functions  allotted 
to  his  charge.  In  tendering  this  homage  to  the  great 
Author  of  every  good,  public  and  private,  I  assure  my- 
self that  it  expresses  your  sentiments  no  less  than  my 
own,  and  those  of  my  fellow-citizens  at  large.  No  people 
can  be  bound  to  acknowledge  and  adore  the  invisible 


PRAYER     FOR     COMMUNITIES.  321 

hand  which  conducts  the  affairs  of  men  more  than  the 
people  of  these  States  :  every  step  by  which  they  have 
advanced  toward  the  character  of  an  independent  na- 
tion seems  to  have  been  distinguished  by  some  token 
of  providential  agency.  These  reflections,  arising  out 
of  the  present  crisis,  have  forced  themselves  too 
strongly  upon  my  mind  to  be  suppressed.  I  shall 
take  my  present  leave  by  resorting  once  more  to  the 
benign  Parent  of  the  human  race  in  humble  supplica- 
tion that  his  blessing  may  be  conspicuous  in  the  tem- 
perate consultations  and  wise  measures  on  which  the 
success  of  this  government  must  depend."  Would 
that  God  might  restore  our  judges  as  at  the  first,  and 
our  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning! 

"We  look  round  upon  a  community  in  which  vice 
abounds,  in  which  crime  raises  its  head  to  an  appalling 
height  and  hardihood  ;  we  look  abroad  upon  the  coun- 
try imperilled,  of  late,  to  the  last  degree  ;  we  see  por- 
tentous clouds  overcasting  the  sky,  and  our  hearts  are 
ready  to  sink  within  us.  Oh,  my  beloved  land,  is  God 
leaving  thee  ?  Will  the  God  of  my  fathers  abandon 
this  fair  heritage  ?  Not  if  we  have  faith  as  a  grain  of 
mustard-seed.  Supplications  can  save  the  common- 
wealth. John  Welsh,  the  celebrated  son-in-law  of 
Knox,  was  overheard  at  his  accustomed  hour  of  mid- 
night pouring  forth  a  flood  of  tears,  and  the  fervent 
cry,  "  Will  thou  not  give  me  Scotland  ?  0  Lord,  will 
thou  not  give  me  Scotland?"  The  single-handed  be- 
liever may,  by  the  grace  of  God,  cope  with  all  the 
enemies  of  our  country  and  our  religion. 


XIII. 

ANSWERS   TO   PRAYER 

I.     ANSWERS   CERTAIN. 


HAT  lias  become  of  all  those  peti- 
tions offered  in  faith  which  have 
been  going  up  to  the  throne  for  six 
thousand  years?  Answered,  or  to  be 
answered,  in  kind  or  in  equivalents. 
There  are,  indeed,  subjects  and  prom- 
ises not  limited  to  any  definite  time  ; 
and  the  supplications  offered  may 
have  a  continuous  and  compounded 
fulfilment,  so  that  no  one  can  single  out  his  own  share, 
and  pronounce  upon  its  relation  to  an  answer  immedi- 
ate or  postponed,  as,  for  instance,  in  general  interces- 
sion for  believers. 

An  expectation  of  returns  should  be  kept  alive. 
When  hope  flags,  devotion  dies.  Delay  is  not  denial ; 
yet,  on  account  of  postponement.  Christians  will  not 
unfrequently  cease  or  intermit  their  entreaties ;  and 
when  the  blessing  comes,  they  are  startled,  having 
almost  forgotten  that  it  was  ever  asked.  If  a  resolute 
belief  that  God  does  indeed  reward  them  that  diligent- 
ly seek  him  were  kept  up,  there  would  be  no  surprise, 
as  is  often  the  case,  when  the  answer  finall}^  comes. 
What  a  comment  upon  lack  of  faith,  that  a  gracious 

822 


ANSWERS     CERTAIN.  323 

response  to  supplications  should  take   the   suppliant 
unawares  ! 

There  can  be  no  strength  of  confidence  in  God, 
without  habitual  expectation  of  a  return  in  his  own 
good  time  to  prayer  addressed  to  him.  A  praying 
man  being  told  that  an  absent  son  had  been  converted, 
his  informant  supposed  he  would  exhibit  great  joy,  but 
was  disappointed  by  his  calmness ;  and,  thinking  that 
some  one  else  must  have  previously  informed  him,  in- 
quired wdio  it  was.  The  father  replied,  "  God  told  me. 
He  did  not  tell  me  that  he  had  converted  my  son,  but 
he  told  me  he  would  convert  him,  and  I  expected  it. 
I  believe  him,  and  I  am  not  surprised  that  he  has 
kept  his  word." 

Suppliants  certainly  have  reason  to  distrust  the  in- 
tegrity of  their  prayers  and  their  confidence  in  a 
prayer-hearing  God,  if  they  are  not  perseveringly  on 
the  lookout  for  returns.  A  monarch  ^  once  said  to  a 
prisoner  brought  before  him,  "  You  know  it  is  in  my 
pov/er  to  pardon  you?"  "Yes,"  he  replied,  "I  know 
it  is  in  ypur  power,  but  it  is  not  in  your  nature."  Just* 
such  stupendous  effrontery  is  ours,  when  we  come 
into  the  presence  of  the  King  of  kings  professedly 
seeking  pardon  and  other  royal  bounties,  yet  entertain- 
ing no  reverent  expectation  of  their  bestowment.  We 
tell  God  that  although  able,  he  will  not  grant.  We  tell 
him,  moreover,  we  are  indifferent  about  it ;  that  an- 
swer or  no  answer  is  of  small  moment.  We  ask  a 
question  and  then  stop  our  ears.  We  toss  in  a  peti- 
tion before  the  throne,  and  retire,  thinking  little  what 
is  to  come  of  it.     Habakkuk  resolved :  "  I  will  stand 

1  James  III.  of  Scotland,  to  Ayliffe, 


324  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

upon  my  watch,  and  set  me  upon  the  tower,  and  I 
will  watch  to  see  what  he  will  say  unto  me." 

God  sometimes  anticipates  prayer  with  an  answer. 
Those  in  the  habit  of  diligently  seeking  God,  and  hav- 
ing a  genuine  faith  in  his  declarations,  sometimes  find 
that  he  is  beforehand  with  them  in  granting  their  do- 
sires.  This  is  in  accordance  with  what  he  has  said: 
",It  shall  come  to  pass  that  before  they  call  I  will  an- 
swer." It  may  seem  an  absurdity  to  call  that  an  an- 
swer which  precedes  a  prayer;  yet  every  believer 
will  gratefully  own  the  solecism.  For  who  has  not 
found,  in  regard  to  himself  and  others,  that  God  has 
already  been  doing  that  which  in  the  order  of  time 
v/as  prior  to  the  request ;  and  while  it  was  supposed 
that  the  prayer  must  be  persevered  i-n,  it  unexpectedly 
appears  that  petition  is  to  be  turned  into  praise  ? 

^^  While  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear ; "  no 
sooner  uttered  than  answered.  Such  is  the  case  in 
emergencies,  and  with  respect  to  constantly  recurring 
wants.  Each  morning's  petition  for  daily  bread  finds 
its  answer  in  needed  supplies.  While  Abraham's  ser- 
vant was  engaged  in  prayer  at  the  well,  it  came  to 
pass,  before  he  ceased  speaking,  the  desired  events 
began  to  take  place.  When  Elijah  besought  God  to 
decide  the  controversy  then  pending,  fire  at  once 
descended  from  heaven  and  consumed  the  sacrifice. 
While  Hezekiah  was  yet  praying  and  weeping  with  his 
foce  tm  ned  toward  the  wall,  a  message  of  peace  was 
brought  to  him.  The  ruler,  upon  inquiring  diligently, 
found  that  the  same  hour  that  Jesus  had  said  to  him, 
"  Thy  son  liveth,"  his  son  recovered.  While  the 
church  were  still  supplicating  for  Peter's  dehverance, 


ANSWERS     CERTAIN.  325 

the  liberated  man  knocked  at  their  door.  To  the  pres- 
ent hour,  who  that  has  sought  the  Lord  aright  has  not 
frequently  found  that  to  ask  and  to  receive  were 
the  work  of  the  same  moment  ?  "  In  the  day  when 
I  cried,  thou  answeredst  me/'  Does  the  arrow  mount 
fleetly  ?  Prayer  outstrips  it.  One  essay  of  the 
wings  of  faith,  and  it  is  at  the  door  of  heaven ;  knock 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you. 

God  often  gives  an  equivalent  for  what  is  asked. 
This  is  as  truly  an  answer  as  if  the  thing  specifically 
sought  were  bestoAved.  It  is  a  grant  in  value,  not  in 
kind.  Thus  Paul  besought  the  Lord  thrice  that  the 
messenger  of  Satan,  with  which  he  was  buffeted,  might 
be  removed ;  but  the  only  answer  he  received  was, 
'■''  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.'' 

This  is  true  in  respect  to  the  mode  of  bestowment, 
as  well  as  the  blessing  itself.  The  man  who  waited  so 
long  at  the  pool  had  looked  for  no  other  way  of  cure 
but  by  the  water,  at  the  time  of  its  periodical  agita- 
tion. He  had  not  thought  of  the  more  direct  and  sig- 
nal method.  Often  does  the  sick  man  long  impatiently 
for  one  and  another  article  of  food,  and  being  refused, 
he,  to  his  joy,  finds  health,  which  was  his  great  desire, 
returning.  The  discoverer  of  this  continent  dreamed 
of  nothing  but  a  nearer  and  easier  passage  to  a  distant 
part  of  the  Old  World.  So  the  believer  is  in  pursuit  of 
health,  but  God  takes  him  to  heaven ;  or,  like  Solomon, 
he  asks  for  wisdom  only,  and  God  gives  that,  and  with 
it,  peace,  riches,  and  honor.  Sometimes  the  Giver  of 
every  good  gift  not  merely  grants  an  equivalent,  but 
a  reduplication  of  blessings. 

God  often  rewards  without  answering  prayer.     A 

28 


326  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

devotional  spirit  may  exist,  an  acceptable  expression 
of  it  be  made,  and  yet  the  specific  petition  be  denied. 
Isaac  prayed  for  Esau,  and  Samuel  for  Saul,  in  a  way 
that  was  not  answered.  Moses  prayed  that  he  might 
enter  the  goodly  land  of  promise,  but  God  permitted 
him  only  to  view  it  from  Mount  Nebo.  Our  Saviour 
fell  on  his  face  saying,  "  Oh  my  Father,  if  it  be  possi- 
ble, let  this  cup  pass  from  me ! "  but  he  was  called  to 
drink  it  to  the  very  dregs.  Was  not  that  an  accept- 
able appeal?  Did  Christ  entertain  an  unfounded  as- 
surance when  he  said,  "  1  knev/  that  thou  hearest  me 
always"?  Was  it  not  true  that  in  the  days  of  his  flesh, 
that  in  the  evening  at  Gethsemane,  when  he  had  of- 
fered up  prayers  and  supplications  with  strong  crying 
and  tears,  unto  Him  that  was  able  to  save  him  from 
death,  he  was  heard  in  that  he  feared  ?  What  was 
his  petition?  Not  merely  that  the  dreadful  hour  might 
pass  from  him,  but  that  the  will  of  his  Father  might 
be  done.  Our  Lord  possessed  what  is  requisite  in 
every  prayer,  —  a  submissive  spirit.  His  regard  to  the 
glory  of  God  was  paramount  to  all  considerations  of  a 
personal  nature.  No  one  having  this  spirit  can  fail  of 
a  reward,  whatever  the  result  may  be  as  to  his  par- 
ticular request. 

II.     ANSWERS    DELAYED. 

"How  long,"  cries  the  distressed  Psalmist, — "How 
long  wilt  thou  forget  me,  0  Lord  ?  Forever  ?  "  It 
is  the  outburst  of  an  agonized  heart.  Accumulated 
grief  breaks  forth,  not  so  much  in  a  psalm  as  in  a 
piercing  wail,  a  vehement  expostulation.      Hope  de- 


ANSWEES     DELAYED.  327 

ferred  has  made  King  David's  heart  sick.  He  has 
cried  and  cried,  apparently  to  no  purpose. 

Similar  half-chidings  and  complaints  come  up  from 
the  general  heart  of  the  suppliant  church.  Omission 
to  answer  seems  like  forgetfulness,  or  positive  displeas- 
ure ;  but  it  only  seems.  God  is  no  less  kind,  wise,  and 
faithful  at  such  times  than  at  others.  He  is  conduct- 
ing the  affairs  of  our  world  upon  a  plan  tTiat  embraces 
all  men  and  all  events;  surveying  the  wdiole,  seeing 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  he  knows  how  to  time  his 
good  gifts  so  that  least  of  harm  and  most  of  benefit 
shall  accrue.  A  premature  bestowment,  though  well 
in  itself,  might  prevent  a  greater  good.  It  is  not  for 
you  to  know  the  times  or  seasons  which  the  Father 
hath  put  in  his  own  power.  There  may  exist  many 
reasons,  some  evident  and  some  inscrutable,  why  an 
answer  should  be  delayed  till  you  have  finished  all 
your  prayers,  and  have  passed  beyond  present  possi- 
bility of  knowing  that  they  are  answered.  Far  more 
of  these  gracious  results  Avill  be  learned  hereafter  than 
here;  and  learned  too  far  along  in  the  panoramic  retro- 
spect of  Avliat  takes  place  on  earth. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  undevout  hurry  among 
Christians ;  and  a  most  unseemly  thing  it  is  to  be  so 
impatient;  as  if  God  were  dilatory,  as  if  he  were 
slack  concerning  his  promises.  The  unremitting  per- 
severance of  the  children  of  this  world  should  teach 
us.  xincient  history  mentions  the  king,  who,  on  re- 
ceiving a  petition  from  a  poor  woman,  hastily  glanced 
at  it,  and  returned  the  same  unanswered.  The  next 
day  her  petition  was  presented  again,  and  was  treated 
in  the  same  manner.     Repeatedly  did  she  bring  the 


328  THE    MERCT-SEAT. 

document  with  no  better  success ;  till  at  last  the  king 
tore  it  in  pieces.  These  were  careliilly  gathered  up, 
stitched  together,  and  again  handed  to  hira.  Struck 
with  her  perseverance,  the  monarch  read  the  petition 
and  immediately  returned  a  favorable  answer.  Did 
not  our  Saviour  speak  a  parable  unto  them,  to  this  end, 
that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  feint  ? 

How  many  are  the  parents  who  have  prayed  and 
prayed,  year  in  and  year  out,  for  their  dear  children, 
and  have  seen  them  still  going  on  aliens  from  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel,  and  strangers  to  the  covenant  of 
promise  !  For  nine  long  years,  while  her  son  was  hur- 
rying headlong  from  sin  to  sin,  the  mother  of  Augus- 
tine continued  instant  in  prayer  on  his  behalf  Said  a 
mother  in  Israel,  ''  Forty  years  was  I  praying  for  my 
husband,  thirty  years  for  my  daughter,  and  God  heard 
me  for  them."  Another  aged  female,  requesting  prayer 
in  behalf  of  a  number  of  grandchildren,  wrote  this 
preface :  "  Mothers  of  only  sons,  pray  on.  For  forty 
years,  one  now  present,  the  mother  of  an  only  son, 
prayed  for  his  conversion,  and  in  this  blessed  revival 
the  Lord  brought  him  into  the  visible  church." 

By  such  experience  of  delays,  the  habit  of  prayer  is 
confirmed.  That  is  something  to  be  attained,  and 
maintained,  only  on  the  same  terms  as  other  elements 
of  spiritual  life,  which  throughout  is  one  of  efibrt. 
How  vividly  is  that  life  pictured  in  the  closing  part  of 
the  last  chapter  of  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  EphesiansI 
In  the  great  spiritual  struggle,  which  every  believer 
must  carry  on,  there  is  needed  the  wliole  armor  of 
God,  and  a  resolute  use  thereof,  which  wdll  be  acquired 
only  with  the  aid  of  unremitting  prayer.     Believers 


ANSWERS     DELAYED.  329 

must  not  only  stand  in  their  armor,  and  stand  fast  in  it, 
but  stand  as  suppliants  no  less  than  combatants,  ^'Pray- 
ing always ; "  a  constantly  devout  spirit  being  exer- 
cised which  shall  have  utterance,  silent  or  otherwise, 
almost  uninterrupted.  "  With  all  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion ; ''  all  appropriate  kinds  of  prayer  being  prac- 
tised ;  social  and  solitary  ;  oral  and  inarticulate.  "  In 
the  Spirit ;  "  in  dependence  upon  and  with  the  aid  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  ^'  Watching  thereunto  with  all  perse- 
verance ;  "  this  habit  being  maintained  with  eager  and 
unremitting  purpose.  ^^  And  supplication  for  all  saints ; " 
individuals  praying  not  for  themselves  alone,  but  each 
for  all,  the  great  brotherhood  having  a  large  and  con- 
stant share  in  this  devout  remembrance.  The  inner 
life  should  be  one  continued  flow  of  prayer,  a  cease- 
less tide  of  supplication,  adoration,  and  praise.  Such 
is  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul;  such  the  indwelling 
Comforter's  abiding  witness. 

In  the  delay  of  answers  there  is  scope  given  for 
invigorating  various  Christian  graces.  Indeed,  prayer 
is  sometimes  more  remunerative  as  a  means  than  as  an 
end ;  more  valuable  to  the  believer  by  its  own  exer- 
cise than  its  answer  is  to  him  or  to  others.  In  spiritual 
forces,  action  is  sometimes  less  than  reaction.  Can  any 
personal  benefit  this  side  the  holiness  of  heaven  be 
more  important  than  a  lively,  persevering  spirit  of 
supplication?  Jacob  would  not  have  been  such  a 
prince  in  prayer  if  the  blessing  had  come  early  enough 
to  allow  him  a  good  night's  rest ;  nor  would  the  aged 
Simeon  have  attained  such  eminence  as  a  devout  man 
if  he  had  not  been  long  waiting  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel.    A  greater  loss  could  hardly  occur  to  the  Chris- 

28* 


330  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

tian  than  to  have  all  petitions  granted  immediately. 
Better  even  to  grow  weary  in  prayer,  provided  one 
does  not  grow  weary  of  it,  than  to  be  so  relieved 
by  answers  as  to  relapse  into  undevout  contentment. 
Better  go  crying,  for  half  a  century,  How  long  wilt 
thou  forget  me,  0  Lord !  than  for  once  to  say,  Soul, 
thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years. 

Domine  quousque?  "Lord,  how  long?"  was  Calvin's 
favorite  ejaculation  in  his  seasons  of  suffering,  and  es- 
pecially of  painful  sickness.  Paul  thrice  besought  the 
Lord  for  the  removal  of  that  which,  after  all,  was  not 
removed.  Through  many  a  wearisome  year  of  captiv- 
ity did  Israel  cry.  How  long  ?  For  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness  they  cried,  How  long?  and  it  was  only 
the  continuation  of  a  cry  that  had  resounded"  through 
Egypt  for  a  yet  longer  period. 

You  have  yourself,  perhaps,  been  out  toiling  in  row- 
ing till  about  the  third  watch  of  the  night ;  and,  won- 
dering why  our  Lord  did  not  come  to  the  rescue,  have 
sent  up  your  cry  amidst  the  storm.  How  long,  0  Lord  ? 
Or  3'ou  may  have  been  a  night  and  a  day  in  the  deep, 
and  all  the  while  you  were  entreating.  Save  me,  0 
God,  for  the  waters  are  come  in  unto  my  soul ;  the 
floods  overflow  me.  Were  you  not  finally  rescued ; 
and  had  you  ever  before  experienced  such  a  sense  of 
dependence  upon  God ;  or  had  you  ever  felt  such  grat- 
itude ?  When  did  you,  or  did  David,  pray  so  mightily 
as  during  a  long  night  amidst  the  billows,  or  sing  with 
such  exultation  as  when,  after  deliverance,  looking  off 
upon  those  same  dark  waters  ? 

Particularly  is  faith  thus  fostered.  That  magnet 
power  of  the  soul,  that  evidence  of  things  not  seen, 


ANSWERS     DELAYED.  331 

though  in  some  measure  constant,  is  yet  tremulous. 
Faith  is  the  eye  of  the  soul,  first  opened  at  the  new 
birth,  Avhen  spiritual  light  is  apprehended.  It  needs 
to  bo  educated  and  clarified,  for  men  are  seen  only  as 
trees  walking.  Faith  is  the  porter  to  the  soul.  Christ 
stands  at  the  door  and  knocks.  He  commands  and 
promises,  but  there  is  no  ear  within  to  hear.  God  at 
length  stirs  up  an  agent  who  listens;  who  credits  what 
falls  from  the  Saviour's  lips,  hastens  to  open  the  door, 
and  welcome  the  divine  Guest.  Christ  enters  and 
sups  with  him.  Faith  is  the  phoenix  virtue.  It 
dwells  where  is  found  the  oblation  of  frankincense 
and  myrrh;  its  life  is  measured  by  centuries.  Though 
it  seem  extinct,  it  rises  from  its  own  odorous  ashes  in 
the  freshness  of  youth  and  the  strength  of  age;  it 
rises  to  the  region  that  is  full  of  glory  ;  it  assures 
itself,  and  the  world  too,  of  high  and  unseen  realities. 
It  is  a  messenger  welcome  in  heaven.  God  honors  it ; 
he  proves  himself  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently 
seek  him.  The  search  may  go  on  for  years,  but  the 
reward  is  immediate,  and  ultimate  success  certain. 


XIV. 

CONCLUSION, 


I.    PROVINCE    OF   PRAYER. 

n  the  rapture  of  converse  with  God !  To 
talk  with  him  as  a  man  speaketh  unto 
his  friend,  to  have  the  soul  caught  up 
to  the  third  heaven,  to  reenter  Paradise, 
to  see  the  great,  white  throne,  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  sprinkling  on  the  mercy- 
seat, —  what  joy  like  that ! 

Wonderful,  too,  it  is  that,  for  so  high 
and  sacred  an  exercise,  such  facilities 
should  be  afforded  ;  that  the  door  of  the  resplendent 
temple  should  not  be  closed  day  nor  night;  that  every 
child  of  God,  amid  the  whirl  of  mid-day  cares,  or  the 
stillness  of  night-watches,,  on  the  ocean,  or  in  the  des- 
ert, may,  in  a  moment  of  time,  pass  to  the  river  of  life, 
present  himself  at  the  footstool  of  Jehovah,  and  feel 
the  refreshing  influence  of  uncreated  light ! 

There  are  special  memorials  of  rapture  and  of  suc- 
cess to  be  set  up.  The  Eben-ezer  of  old  was  less  a 
monument  of  victory  over  the  Philistines  than  of  Sam- 
uel's victorious  prayer.  It  is  well  to  erect  monuments 
to  the  glory  of  Him  who  heareth  prayer.  He  has  him- 
self suggested  it  in  the  changed  name  of  the  wrestling 
patriarch,  who,  as  a  prince,  had  power  with  God  and 

832 


PROVINCE     OF     PRAYER.  333 

with  men,  and  prevailed.  That  very  word,  Israel,  will 
forever  remain  the  remembrancer  of  a  signal  triumph 
of  struggling  supplication.  Every  true  believer  has 
his  Mizpeli,  and  has  occasion  between  there  and  Shen 
to  set  up  a  pillar,  with  the  inscription,  "Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  me."  What  devout  man  or  woman  has 
lived  who  could  not  appreciate  such  a  memorandum  as 
this  of  the  Duchess  of  Athol :  "0  my  soul!  remem- 
ber Friday,  the  eighteenth  of  November,  sixteen  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one,  and  Thursday,  the  twenty-fourth, 
wherein  the  Lord  thy  God  was  pleased  to  give  thee 
sweetest  consolation  in  himself,  and  some  assurance 
of  his  reconciled  countenance,  at  Hamilton." 

The  reflex  benefit  of  prayer  is  large.  Suppose  there 
were  no  direct  influence  from  petitions;  that  entreaties 
for  others  and  even  for  ourselves  Avere  of  no  avail  ex- 
cept by  a  natural  reaction  upon  the  suppliant,  still  it 
is  an  ennobling  exercise.  The  assimilating  power  is 
decided ;  the  mind  is  filled  with  great  and  good 
thoughts ;  the  soul  is  expanded  and  refined.  "  For 
no  sooner,"  says  Chrysostom,  "  does  a  man  lift  up 
his  hands  to  heaven,  and  call  upon  God,  than  he  is 
snatched  from  this  world  and  translated  into  the  other, 
if  he  pray  with  care  and  diligence ;  so  that  if  anger 
boil  in  him,  it  is  presently  quieted ;  if  envy  gnaw,  it 
is  easily  expelled ;  if  lust  burn,  it  is  quenched.  For, 
as  the  Psalmist  observes,  that  when  the  sun  arises,  all 
the  beasts  of  the  forest,  who  in  the  night  had  crept 
forth,  lay  themselves  down  in  their  dens ;  so,  when 
prayer  goes  forth  out  of  our  mouth,  the  mind  is  en- 
lightened, as  with  a  certain  beam  of  light,  and  all 
unreasonable  and  brutish  passions  steal  away  and  dare 


334  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

not  appear.  Nay,  if  the  Devil  himself  were  there, 
he  is  driven  away ;  if  a  demon,  he  departs,  provided 
we  pray  with  attentive  and  waking  minds." 

Hallowed  peace  is  a  result.  Such  peace  has  no  al- 
liance with  insensibility;  we  do  not  call  the  rocks 
peaceful.  It  is  something  more  than  the  absence  of 
commotion  ;  though  the  lava  be  not  flowing,  we  do  not 
pronounce  the  volcano  a  placid  object.  Widely  differ- 
ent is  it  from  religious  quietism,  of  which  the  calmness 
is  mere  apathy ;  which  does  not  cheer,  but  stupefy. 

Whoever  would  have  genuine  Christian  peace,  and 
experience  it  in  joyful  measures,  must  give  himself  to 
frequent  prayerful  meditation.  Then  will  he  hear  the 
Saviour  say,  '*  My  peace  I  give  unto  you ;  not  as  the 
world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."  Oh!  what  a  sanctified 
calm  is  felt,  what  sacred  repose  of  the  soul  in  God 
through  Christ !  Then  does  the  weary,  fluttering  bird 
find  rest  for  the  sole  of  her  foot.  Then  does  the  pant- 
ing hart,  which  the  hounds  have  chased,  sit  down  qui- 
etly beside  the  water-brook. 

We  would,  however,  beware  of  a  selfish  luxury  in 
our  communion  with  Heaven.  We  do  well  to  bring 
our  feelings  to  the  test.  Is  it  in  comparative  self- 
oblivion  that  we  stand  upon  the  Mount?  Do  we  with 
Peter  at  the  Transfiguration  sa}',  Lord,  let  us  build 
three  tabernacles,  one  for  thee,  one  for  Moses,  and  one 
for  Elias?  Does  such  good  company  seem  enough  for 
•Qs,  be  our  private  accommodations,  or  want  of  accom- 
modations, what  they  may  ?  Does  each  involuntarily 
cry  out.  It  is  good  for  me  to  be  here  ?  The  cold 
ground  is  enough  for  me  ;  let  others,  let  my  Lord,  have 
a  tabernacle ;  I  have  no  thought  about  a  home  for  my- 


PROVINCE     OF     PRATER.  335 

self;  enougli  that  I  may  be  permitted  to  stand  door- 
keeper ! 

Ours  is  a  golden  key;  it  opens  the  door  to  treasures 
beyond  all  estimate.  With  that  in  our  hand,  shall  we 
keep  our  own  souls  and  the  Church  of  God  in  a  state 
of  needless  impoverishment?  To  us  is  let  doyvn  a 
golden  chain  from  heaven, —  the  chain  that  cannot  be 
broken  ;  shall  we  decline  to  rise  and  draw  with  ns  the 
sinking  world  ?  Do  not  our  own  hearts,  a  languishing 
Zion,  and  perishing  millions,  call  for  the  exertion  of 
all  our  devotional  strength  ? 

It  is  a  great  lesson  to  learn  where  to  look  for  spirit- 
ual help.  Most  appropriately  does  the  Psalmist  charge 
his  soul,  "Wait  thou  only  upon  God,  for  my  expecta- 
tion is  from  him."  So  would  we.  I  charge  thee,  0 
my  soul,  look  not  to  the  pastor,  not  to  the  church  offi- 
cers, not  to  this  one  or  that  one ;  wait  thou  only  upon 
God.  Others  are  changeable;  he  is  a  rock.  Others 
are  insufficient;  he  is  my  defence.  I  shall  not  be 
moved. 

There  are  some  usually  in  advance  of  others ;  some 
souls  moved  before  the  generality  are  stirred.  Who 
has  not  watched  in  mountain  regions  the  dawn  of  day, 
and  seen  the  higher  summits  tipped  and  gilded  with 
light,  while  it  was  yet  darkness  or  dense  shades  in  the 
valley  beneath?  So,  when  the  Sun  of  righteousness 
rises,  there  are  souls  dwelling  comparatively  in  heav- 
enly regions  which  are  the  first  to  catch  and  reflect  his 
rays.  Such,  too,  are  often  among  those  accounted  so- 
cially, and  who  spiritually  are  indeed,  the  humblest. 
A  distinguished  pastor  ^  made  these  statements:  "Late 

1  Dr.  Murray,  of  Elizabethtown,  N.  J. 


336  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

on  a  cold  November  night,  I  was  retiring  to  rest.  There 
was  a  knock  at  my  door,  and  an  aged  member  of  the 
chnrch,  a  simple,  praying,  warm-hearted  man  was  in- 
troduced. After  a  brief  silence,  he  thus  addressed 
me :  '■  My  dear  pastor,  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that 
God  is  about  to  revive  his  work  among  us.'  I  asked 
why  he  felt  so  ?  'I  went  into  the  stable,'  said  he, 
*  to  take  care  of  my  cattle  two  hours  ago,  and  there 
the  Lord  has  kept  me  in  prayer  until  now.  And  I  feel 
we  are  going  to  be  revived.' "  There  could  be  no 
doubt  as  to  his  sincerity  ;  and  that  was  the  commence- 
ment of  the  first  revival  under  the  ministry  of  the 
preacher  referred  to. 

A  few  years  afterward,  and  in  another  field  of  la- 
bor, an  aged  man,  venerated  for  piety,  came  to  the 
same  person.  Though  poor  in  this  world,  he  was  rich 
in  faith.  In  prayer  he  seemed  to  converse  with  God. 
"I  have  called  to  say  to  you,  my  dear  pastor,"  he 
stated,  "  that  the  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  us,  and  we 
shall  all  soon  see  the  effect  of  his  presence."  "  I  had 
observed,"  says  the  narrator,  ^'  a  marked  solemnity  in 
the  congregation,  but  nothing  more.  I  asked  the  ven- 
erable man  why  he  felt  so  ?  His  reply  was  as  follows : 
'  Since  twelve  o'clock  last  night,  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
been  so  upon  me  that  I  have  been  unable  to  do  any- 
thing but  pray,  and  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  a 
blessed  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.' " 

Most  Christians  profess  to  have  desires  for  such  a 
season  of  refreshing  from  on  high.  Pi'ayers  generally 
imply  this.  Who  would  risk  his  reputation  by  confess- 
ing to  an  entire  absence  of  such  aspirations?  After 
all,  however,  are  we  even  willing  to  have  a  powerful 


PROVINCE     OF     PRAYER.  337 

and  general  revival  ?  Have  we  courage  to  meet  a  re- 
vival, to  meet  such  taunts  and  sneers  as  it  brings  in 
its  train?  We  pray  that  our  children  may  be  saved; 
but  are  we  desirous  to  have  tliem  really  and  thorough- 
ly converted,  rescued  from  the  wiles  of  the  Adversary, 
turning  from  all  the  ways  of  a  wicked  world,  and  be- 
coming Christians  indeed,  tenfold  more  earnest  and 
godly  than  ourselves  ? 

It  behooves  us  to  look  with  a  scrutinizing  eye  at  the 
sincerity  of  our  desires.  Do  we  anticipate  anything 
more  than  a  transient  excitation  and  ebullition  of  feel- 
ing? Arc  we  truly  in  earnest  for  anything  more  than 
the  reputation  of  being  very  active  and  very  warm, 
the  credit  of  more  eminent  piety  than  others  ?  If  use- 
ful ourselves,  are  we  willing  that  others  should  have 
praise  for  it? 

Must  not  Christ  be  amazed  at  us  ?  There  are  only 
two  recorded  instances  in  which  our  Saviour  marvelled. 
One  was  when  he  wondered  at  tlie  centurion's  faith. 
It  is  not  stated  that  Christ  felt  any  surprise  in  view  of 
the  works  of  creation  ;  and  still  loss  at  the  products 
of  human  skill  or  genius.  Indeed,  what  mental  pro- 
cess or  result  can  be  so  marvellous  as  the  simple  act 
of  saving  faith, —  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  able 
and  ready  to  do  all  that  is  most  needed  by  every  one? 
The  loftiest  efforts  of  human  intellect  bear  no  compari- 
son with  that  simple,  wonder-working  act.  The  only 
other  instance  was  when  "  He  marvelled  because  of 
their  unbelief"  They  despised  him.  They  were  of- 
fended because  of  him ;  his  human  relatives  were  per- 
sons of  no  figure  in  the  world.  "  He  could  there  do 
no  mighty  work,  save  that  he  laid  his  hands  upon  a 

29 


338  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

few  sick  folk  and  healed  them."  What  can  be  so 
strange  as  not  to  believe  the  faithful  and  true  \Vitness, 
not  to  believe  incarnate  truth  Himself;  practically  giv- 
ing the  lie  to  the  Lord  that  bought  us? 

We  must  notice  the  established  order  in  God's  ap- 
pointments,—  the  order  of  succession,  the  order  of 
means  and  end.  Spring  precedes  summer  and  au- 
tumn ;  the  season  of  labor  as  well  as  prayer  goes  be- 
fore that  of  ingathering.  The  Great  Ruler  of  the 
world  hath  indeed  enacted  that  ^^  While  the  earth  re- 
maineth,  seed-time  and  harvest  shall  not  cease  ;  "  but 
he  has  also  ordained  that  in  the  sweat  of  the  face  man 
shall  eat  bread.  The  means  are  ordained  as  much  as 
the  end ;  and  this  is  as  true  in  spiritual  as  in  natural 
husbandry.  We  believe  the  doctrine  of  election,  but 
we  believe  it  as  a  whole ;  "  Elect  according  to  the 
foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father,  through  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience;"  elect  unto  obedi- 
ence as  much  as  to  anything  else.  We  hold  to  the 
first,  but  we  hold  to  the  second  part  also.  Christian 
effort  is  as  truly  a  means  to  the  end  as  is  ploughing 
and  sowing  ;  and  in  the  neglect  of  such  appointed 
means  no  harvest,  natural  or  spiritual,  may  be  expected. 
Moses  prays,  but  Joshua's  sword  must  be  unsheathed. 
To  pray  and  not  to  fight  would  be  presumption;  to 
fight  and  not  pray  would  be  rebellion.  It  was  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  that  David  went  out  against 
Goliath ;  but  he  took  his  sling  and  well-chosen  stones 
with  him.  If  the  three  kings  who  came  to  Elisha  had 
not,  at  his  instance,  digged  the  canals,  the  valley 
would  not  have  been  filled  with  water,  though  the 
supply  for  them  and  their  cattle  was  supernatural.     It 


FUTURE     ACHIEVEMENTS.  339 

is  a  plain  point  of  common  sense  as  well  as  of  Scrip- 
ture, that  in  proportion  to  sincerity  of  devout  desires 
for  a  given  result  will  be  readiness  to  labor  for  it. 

A  lazy  man  cannot  have  faith  requisite  to  the  proper 
offering  of  the  petition,  "  I  pray  thee,  send  me  good 
speed  this  day."  He  who  cries,  "  Give  me  this  day 
my  daily  bread,"  and  does  nothing  else  toward  secur- 
ing it,  will  never  find  the  ravens  coming  to  him,  as  did 
the  prophet;  his  own  corpse  will  feed  the  ravens. 
God  gives,  but  man  must  toil,  must  show  his  faith  by 
his  works.  To  trust  wholly  in  one's-self,  or  wholly  in 
Providence  without  effort,  are  extremes  equally  re- 
moved from  the  golden  mean  of  Scripture. 


II.     FUTUFcE   ACHIEVEMENTS    OF   PRAYER. 

The  course  of  divine  providence  is  like  that  of  the 
mighty  river  which  has  its  source  far  up  in  the  north- 
western regions  of  our  continent,  and  flows  onward, 
here  through  level  and  there  through  hilly  regions ; 
at  one  time  spreading  out  into  the  broad  lake,  at 
another  pressed  by  its  banks  into  a  narrow  channel; 
now  a  steady,  unruffled  stream,  and  now  a  rushing  cat- 
aract or  foaming  rapids.  So  history  is  a  succession  of 
broad  expanses,  swift-flowing  currents,  with  abrupt 
turns  and  falls. 

In  his  spiritual  administration,  God  observes  no  un- 
varjnng  course.  There  have  been  enlargement  and 
contraction,  the  clear  and  the  turbid  intervals.  There 
have  been  withholding  and  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of 
supplications.      In  the   antediluvian  age   occurred  a 


340  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

noteworthy  period  at  which  men  "  began  to  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord.''  Jewish  liistory  supplies  simi- 
lar notices,  as  in  the  times  of  Elijah  and  Ehsha,  of  Ezra 
and  Nehemiah. 

Predictions  are  on  record  not  yet  fulfilled,  relating 
to  the  character  and  amount  of  prayer,  showing  that 
there  Avill  be  achievements  of  faith  such  as  have  never 
been  witnessed.  Our  world  is  to  become  one  vast 
sanctuary,  and  we  may  believe  there  will  be  concerts 
of  prayer  observed  not  by  meagre  assemblages,  but  by 
nations.  Then  cometh  the  end  ;  the  last  unfulfilled 
desire  of  the  cluirch  will  send  up  the  closing  petition, 
when  the  mercy-seat  may  be  taken  down.  "  In  that 
day,"  said  Jesus,  when  I  am  come  to  receive  you 
finally,  personally,  and  forever  to  myself;  when  I  will 
see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your 
joy  no  man  taketh  irom  you, — "  In  that  day  ye  shall 
ask  me  nothing  ; "  the  desires  of  my  people  shall  all 
be  satisfied ;  and  no  want  remaining,  supplication  will 
cease. 

"Hitherto  ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name." 
The  apostles  had  healed  diseases  and  cast  out  devils, 
but  had  not  won  the  yet  greater  achievements  of 
prayer  offered  distinctly  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  The 
advent  and  expiatory  work  of  Christ,  his  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  and  his  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father,  opened  a  new  era  in  the  kingdom  of  grace  and 
the  scope  of  prayer.  Not  only  was  the  middle  wall  of 
partition  brolven  down,  so  that  both  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
through  him,  might  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the 
Father,  but  there  was  a  corresponding  enlargement 
of  the  field  of  supplication,  and  of  encouragement  in 


FUTURE     ACHIEVEMENTS.  341 

praj'er.  The  great  work  in  contemplation  for  untold 
ages  is  finished.  The  delight  of  God  the  Father  in 
the  Son,  now  reascended,  and  bringing  a  glorified  hu- 
manity with  him,  is  infinite.  Him  he  heareth  always ; 
nothing  does  the  only-begotten  Son  ask  that  is  not 
granted. 

Not  more  close  is  the  relation,  on  his  divine  side,  to 
the  Godhead,  than  on  the  other  to  his  people  ;  he  is 
one  with  them ;  their  interests  are  his.  When  he  as- 
cended on  high,  the  breastplate,  that  most  significant 
article  of  priestly  attire,  was  not  forgotten ;  and  how 
much  larger  his  breastplate  and  his  heart  than  those 
of  Aaron  !  The  Jewish  high  priests  bore  only  general 
names,  —  those  of  the  several  tribes  as  a  whole ;  but 
consider  the  great  apostle  and  high  priest  of  our  pro- 
fession, who  carries  with  him  the  particular  name  of 
every  individual  belonging  to  the  Israel  of  God. 

How  comprehensive,  how  tender,  how  wise  the  in- 
terest he  feels  in  those  given  him,  and  for  whom  espe- 
cially he  died.  He  is  a  solicitor  acquainted  as  no  other 
ever  was  with  affairs  intrusted  to  him.  Never  did  he 
lose  a  case ;  his  advocacy  is  more  potent  than  if  all 
angels  and  all  saints  in  heaven  were  pleading.  His 
name  is  infinitely  sweet  in  the  ear  of  the  Father ;  to 
have  him  is  to  have  Benjamin  with  us  when  we  go  to 
court.     No  fee  is  asked,  no  bribe  taken. 

When,  especially,  the  higher  blessings,  personal  or 
public,  are  to  be  sought,  faith  finds  in  the  name  of 
Christ  a  basis  broad  enough  for  the  utmost  of  her  de- 
sires. The  name  of  Jesus,  —  it  is  the  name  above 
every  other,  —  the  name  of  one  familiar  with  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Godhead  from  eternity ;  a  participant,  a 

29* 


342  THE     MERCY-SEAT. 

coordinate  in  the  council-chamber  of  the  Ancient  of 
Days ;  one  sharing  in  the  fellowship  of  the  tri-personal 
Jeliovah ;  one  specially  deputed  to  discharge  the  ex- 
ecutive acts  of  Deity.  It  is  the  name  of  Messiah,  for 
whose  coming  forty  centuries  of  preparatory  march 
were  required  :  to  whom  the  eyes  of  kings  and  proph- 
ets looked  dimly  through  clouds  of  incense,  and  whose 
voice  they  heard  in  the  bleat  of  every  sacrificed  vic- 
tim ;  whose  priestly  office  and  whose  predicted  con- 
quests were  the  soul  of  the  old  dispensation,  the  one 
vital  idea  of  the  most  remarkable,  the  most  homoge- 
neous, the  most  indestructible  nation  on  the  globe.  It 
is  the  name  of  the  Wonderful,  God  and  man.  Creator 
among  creatures,  Lav.^giver  under  the  law,  the  inno- 
cent standing  where  the  guilty  should  stand,  whose 
mission  on  earth  marked  the  turning-point  of  all  time, 
the  high  noon  of  duration,  when  the  central  Sun  of 
the  universe  suffered  his  only  echpse.  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  name  of  One  who  undertook  —  and  did  he  fail?  — 
to  more  than  vindicate  a  broken  law,  to  reconstruct, 
upon  a  scale  of  surpassing  grandeur,  the  dilapidated 
temple  of  truth  and  righteousness ;  to  bring  forth  to 
the  gaze  of  angels  and  men  the  more  intimate  glories 
of  the  Godhead  ;  to  shed  a  new  and  ever-brightening 
lustre  upon  all  the  paths  and  prominences  of  divine 
administration.  He  rose  mighty  in  his  conquest  to  the 
mediatorial  throne,  where  he  holds  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth.  Is  not  his  a  prevailing  name  ?  What  object 
is  there  of  legitimate  desire,  however  vast,  for  which 
his  merits  do  not  avail  ? 

It  behooves  all  believers  to  measure  the  blessings 
craved,  by  the   dignity,  authority,  and  doings  of  our 


FUTURE     ACHIETEMENTS.  3-i3 

Advocate  with  the  Father.  "When  that  takes  place, 
the  utmost  achievements  of  prayer  will  be  won,  and 
latter-day  glory  come  in  all  its  fulness.  TTe  look 
for  the  time  when  seasons  of  concerted  prayer  shall 
cease  to  be  monthly,  in  order  to  become  weekly,  and 
then  again  to  become  daily :  when  at  every  descent  of 
the  sun  the  eager  inquiry  shall  be,  Watchman,  what 
of  the  night  ?  when  that  occasion  shall  be  the  focus  of 
Christian  interest,  and  in  thronging  attendance  shall 
yield  to  no  other.  ^'  Ye  that  make  mention  of  the 
Lord  keep  not  silence  ;  and  give  him  no  rest  till  he 
establish,  and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the 
earth." 

We  may  not  suppose  that  God  will  convert  nations 
very  much  in  advance  of  a  preparation  in  the  church 
and  its  missionaries  to  appreciate  the  glorious  work. 
Preparation  for  it  may  be  known  by  a  strength  of  de- 
sire commensurate  to  its  magnitude.  The  work  of 
subjugating  the  world  to  himself  Christ  has  given  in- 
strumentally  to  his  church  ;  but  in  that  enterprise  the 
most  important  elements  are  a  faith  and  prayer  propor- 
tionate to  the  work.  For  Christians  to  have  narrow 
views  and  feeble  faith  is  a  criminal  deficiency.  It  im- 
peaches the  God  of  Sabaoth,  the  King  of  Zion.  The 
first  thing  needed  is  that  we  go  to  the  utmost  in  study- 
ing and  applying  the  dynamics  of  prayer.  We  should 
make  full  proof  of  the  integrity  of  Him  who  says  to 
us,  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name, 
he  will  give  it  you."  No  longer  should  we  neglect 
such  unwrought  mines  of  heavenly  wealth  for  our- 
selves and  an  impoverished  world.  Has  all  this  vast 
arrangement  for   supplication   been   made ;   all  these 


344  THE    MERCY-SEAT. 

promises  of  God  ;  all  these  visitations  of  the  Com- 
forter ;  all  tlii?  advocacy  of  the  great  High  Priest, 
that  we  might  merely  ask  a  few  personal  favors?  "At- 
tempt great  things  ;  expect  great  things." 

Many  are  the  Christians  who  engage  monthly  in 
concerted  prayer  for  the  universal  triumph  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  Many  are  the  petitions  daily  offered  for  that 
glorious  consummation.  Yet  how  does  the  work  linger! 
Where,  now,  in  reference  to  the  world's  conversion,  do 
our  thoughts  and  hopes  rest  ?  On  the  modern  progress 
of  societv?  On  the  increasincr  wealth  of  our  churches? 
On  the  many  laborers  already  in  the  field?  If  so,  alas 
for  us  and  for  the  cause  ! 

Let  the  house  of  Israel  inquire  anew.  In  full  assur- 
ance of  faith  let  them  draw  nigh  to  the  Holy  of  holies, 
where  our  mediating  Forerunner  has  entered.  We 
hear  liis  intercession:  "Hast  thou  not  given  me  the 
heathen  for  mine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth  for  my  possession  ?  Are  not  all  kings  to 
fall  down  before  me,  and  all  nations  to  serve  me  ?  Be- 
hold this  ransom  blood  of  mine  upon  the  mercy-seat. 
Hear  thou  from  these  bands  of  waiting  believers  the 
supplication,  '  Thy  kingdom  come.'  They  will  not 
keep  silence ;  will  give  me  no  rest  till  thou  establish, 
and  till  thou  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  all  the  earth." 

Are  not  our  hearts  enlarged  ?  Before  our  sympa- 
thizing gaze  a  dying  world  is  spread  out.  We  behold 
the  destined  reward  of  crucifixion  sufferings.  Irre- 
pressible desires  are  kindled,  and  our  hearts  echo 
Christ's  pleading  in  heaven. 

Who  may  speak  of  mental  inferiority  ?  It  requires 
no  great  strength  of  mind,  no  extensive  culture,  to  lay 


FUTURE     ACHIEVEMENTS.  345 

hold  of  this  simple  declaration:  '^I  say  unto  yon." 
Fishermen  and  tentmakers  can  apprehend  it  as  quick 
as  any.  All  that  is  wanting  is  the  eye  of  faith  and  the 
heart  of  love.  Every  one  capable  of  knowing  that 
Christ  uttered  such  words,  and  that  God  is  fjitliful, 
stands  herein  upon  a  level  with  the  loftiest  intellect. 
A  peasant's  voice,  sounding  amidst  Alpine  heights, 
sometimes  brings  down  the  avalanche.  Is  the  feebler 
sex  exempt  from  participating  in  these  sublime  efforts? 
The  most  delicate  hand  has  launched  as  proud  a  ship 
as  floats  on  the  water. 


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'P'^ufZool 
Coir.p  ratirp  _n„, 
;ufc.i  and  {.' 
(Saur.  of 
now 


■eJ?e  is  roKcr.       \V    C  liir  03  Kni -if 

Conc-^rd  ot  ibe  Ki'.le.  m  E^dir.  _  w,  ,  " 
Analjt.  Co"0  ol  Bible,  %  fran,.i3  W.ivl, 
Moral  Sc;<-ice.    ^  ^^  ^^,  JU.n    liairis 

The  CUi^^>'"     ■    '.— 


1 


a.. 


^.r.-s/tf-frMS,. 


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Valuable  School  Books.     Works  for  Sabbath  Schools. 

Memoir  of  Amos   Lawrence. 

Poetical  Works  of  Milton,  Cowper,  Scott.       Elegant  Miniature  Volv-ir'"?'. 

Ar vine's   Cyclopc3dia  of  Anecdo'es. 

lllpley's  ITotos   en  C-capcls,  Acts,   and  Comans. 

Sprague's  European  Celebrities.     Marsh's  Camel  and  the  Kallig. 

Kocet's  Thesaurus  of  English  Words. 

Kackett's  ITotes  on  Acts.      M'V/horttr's  Ythvch  Christ. 

"iobcld  and  Stannius'j  Comparative  Anr.toiry.    Marco's  C-eologieal  Map,  U.  i 

Heligious   and  Miscellaneous  Works. 

Works  iu  the  various  Department*  c>r  Literature,  Science  and  Art. 


Date  Due 

4-'  -  ;    ■' 

itty  1  0  ■; 

mzij 

• 

f) 

